Reading In The Hand of the Goddess
by goldgall
Summary: What the title implies. Second book in the series, partially complete. Posting it all at once because I probably won't complete it. On hiatus, however anyone that wants to adopt it is welcome to. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I'm sorry I took so long with it and it's still not finished.
1. Abandon hope ye who enter here

*prepares self for rotten fruit*

Uh. Hi. All of you amazing people. Who are still reviewing. Even though it's been a whole year since I finished this. I love you all so much. I'm serious. Every time I get a review it's like a little punch of guilt and adoration and wonderment because honestly this wasn't supposed to be something a lot of people read.

But, I've finally stopped lying to myself and admitted that I probably won't ever finish the sequel to this. However, I have gotten 7 chapters in, so I'll post what I can for all of the people who have been waiting all this time. Seriously. I love you all.

That being said, I probably won't ever complete it, and the authors notes that are there are ones I wrote several months ago and am too lazy to edit out. Anybody who wants to adopt it, feel free. I've got around half, I think, of chapter 8 written, and if anyone wants that, then just PM me. Without further stalling, here's the link: s/8823831/1/Reading-In-The-Hand-of-the-Goddess

One last think I'd like to say-I wouldn't have gotten nearly as far if it weren't for all the effing amazing people out there who reviewed, and alerted, and hell, even just opened and looked at it. I honestly stared at my computer screen for a full minute when I saw the amount of views I had. All of you, all of you are amazing and I would love to individually thank each and every one of you, but I doubt I would be able to do it without leaving anyone out. There is no way I would have gotten as much written as I did, so thank you. Thank you all so much.


	2. The Lady Knight

**I've got more motivation for finishing this one, because of the drama between Alanna and Jon… And George. *grins* I just love torturing my characters with drama…**

**EDIT ONE MONTH LATER: Okay, that motivation disappeared. *poof*. That's it. However, I did get a lot of people asking me to finish this, including one person that PMd me, so I'm definitely going to try to finish this and hope that I get some more inspiration somewhere along the line.**

Alanna paused, wringing her hands nervously and waiting for the telltale sound of the creaking door. It meant Jon was sneaking into her room again. She had no idea what to say to him. She knew that it was more than likely that what had happened with George would be in the second book. It was bad enough that her relationship with Jon would be read aloud to her other friends, but to have George's stolen kisses read to Jon? It was a big mess, and she knew it.

There it was. She held her breath as she heard the door creak, but didn't turn to face Jonathon. He laid next to her on the bed, as usual, and curled around her, tucking her head beneath his chin.

"Alanna?" he asked in a whisper. He could tell something was wrong.

"I don't know, Jon" she said tersely.

He mistook her anxiety for nervousness about their relationship being read aloud. "You know they won't judge us. Gary will likely think it's a joke" he said comfortingly. When she still didn't relax, he hesitated. "We could just not read this book" he said.

Alanna sighed, wishing it could happen. "No," she said, turning to face him. "The others will want a reason, and even then they'll read without us."

He kissed her comfortingly, but when he moved to remove her nightgown, she stopped him. "No, Jon" she said. "Just… not now. After we get everything sorted and this book out of the way, okay?" she asked. She strained her vision to catch a glimpse of his expression in the dark, but she couldn't see anything.

After a while, he kissed the top of her head and whispered to her, "Sleep, Lioness."

And sleep she did, drifting off into peaceful dreams. When she awoke, Jon was gone.

That day, they all gathered in the living room to read the next book. Gary picked it up. "I'll read" he volunteered. They sat down comfortably and listened. Before he could start, though, a familiar black cat strolled through the door.

Alanna cried out, holding her arms out as the cat jumped into her arms. "Faithful!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" she asked, stroking the cat. She had left her familiar at the palace when she left, figuring that it was only for a week.

_I was in your saddlebags._ he said, looking up at her with indignation at being left behind. She frowned, looking at him critically as she forgot their audience.

"Why are you only here now?" she asked.

The cat made a movement that would have been a shrug if it was human. _I only come in in this book_ he said.

She petted the cat, rolling her eyes at his arrogance.

Gary read once he was sure they were finished their 'conversation'.

**The Song of the Lioness**

**Chapter 1: The Lady in the Forest **he read.

**THE copper-haired rider looked at the black sky and swore. The storm would be on her soon, and she was hours away from shelter. No matter what she did, she was going to have to spend the night out-of-doors.**

**"I **_**hate **_**getting wet," Alanna of Trebond told her mare. "I don't like being cold, either, and we'll probably be both."**

Raoul laughed. "Talking to animals is a sign of insanity" he teased.

Faithful looked at him with his purple orbs. _And if the animal speaks to you?_ He asked. Raoul paled and yelped. The others couldn't hear Faithful's comment, so they looked at him curiously, except for Alanna, who guessed.

**The horse whickered in reply, flicking her white tail. Alanna sighed and patted Moonlight's neck—she also didn't like exposing her faithful mare to such conditions.**

**They were on the last leg of an errand in the coastal hills. A forest lay before them; beyond it was the Great Road South and half a day's ride to the capital city and home. Alanna shook her head. They could probably find shelter somewhere under the trees, if luck was with them.**

**Clucking to Moonlight, she picked up their pace. In the distance thunder rolled, and a few drops of rain blew into her face. She shivered and swore again. Checking to make sure the scroll she carried was safe in its waterproof wrapping and tucked between her tunic and shirt, Alanna shrugged into a hooded cloak.**

"Scroll?" Myles asked interestedly, wondering if it was an errand from him.

**Her friend Myles of Olau would be very upset if the three-hundred-year-old document she had been sent to fetch got wet!**

Myles smiled at the thought, wondering aloud what document it might be. Alanna smiled and read over him.

**Moonlight carried her under the trees, where Alanna peered through the growing darkness. If they rode too much longer, it would be impossible to find dry firewood even in a forest this thick. The rain was falling now in fat drops. It would be nice if she could find an abandoned hut, or even an occupied one, but she knew better than to expect that.**

**Something hit the back of her gloved hand with a wet smack—a huge, hairy wood-spider.**

Alanna shuddered, and Faithful yowled.

**Alanna yelled and threw the thing off her, startling Moonlight. The gold mare pranced nervously until her mistress got her under control once more. For a moment Alanna sat and shook, huddled into her cloak.**

_**I **_**hate **_**spiders**_**, she thought passionately. **_**I just—loathe spiders**_**. She shook her head in disgust and gathered the reins in still-trembling hands.**

"Afraid of spiders, eh?" Gary laughed. She narrowed her eyes at him and shuddered at the thought of the hairy eight-legged things.

"I never knew you were afraid of spiders" Jon quietly murmured to her. She shrugged stiffly—she was still worrying over what might happen in this book.

**Her fellow squires at the palace would laugh if they knew she feared spiders. They'd say she was behaving like a girl, not knowing she was a girl.**

"Er…" Gary trailed off, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

**"What do they know about girls anyway?" she asked Moonlight as they moved on. "Maids at the palace handle snakes and kill spiders without acting silly. Why do boys say someone acts like a girl as if it were an insult?"**

The boys in the room looked perplexed at this, and Alanna had to smile at them as she shook her head, amused.

**Alanna shook her head, smiling a little. In the three years she had been disguised as a boy, she had learned that boys know girls as little as girls know boys. It didn't make sense—**_**people are people, after**__**all**_**, she thought—but that was how things were.**

Myles looked thoughtful at this, but didn't say anything.

**A hill rose sharply to the left of the road. Crowning it was an old willow tree thick with branches. It would take hours for the rain to soak through onto the ground under that tree, if it soaked through at all, and there was room between the limbs and trunk for both Alanna and Moonlight.**

"Lucky" George smiled. Alanna frowned, wondering if he meant lucky as in the gods were smiling on her. She remembered what would happen that night and she scowled. She didn't like being a tool of the gods, no matter how lucky others might think she was.

**Within moments she had Moonlight unsaddled and covered with a blanket. The mare fed on grass under the tree as Alanna gathered dry sticks, branches and leaves. With some struggle and much swearing—her first teacher in woodcraft, Coram, was a soldier, and she had learned plenty of colorful language from him**

Alanna grinned, momentarily distracted from her bad mood. "That's another thing I have to thank Coram for"

—**she got a fire going. When it was burning well, she gathered large branches that were a little wet, putting them beside the fire to dry. Coram had taught her all this when she was a child at Trebond, planning to be a warrior maiden when she grew up.**

Gary shook his head slightly, smiling. "It's hard to think of you as an idealistic child like that. You're so cynical now"

The others let out a little laugh and Alanna smiled easily at the teasing. Gary watched closely and let out a little sigh of relief when he saw her smiling. She looked like she needed cheering up, she'd looked unhappy all day so far.

**There was only one problem with her ambition, Coram had explained when she told him what she wanted to be. The last warrior maiden had died a hundred years ago. Nobly born girls went to convent schools and became ladies. Boys became warriors, particularly their fathers' heirs, like Alanna's twin brother Thom. Then Coram would always glare at Thom, who was often reading, generally books about sorcery. Thom was no warrior, just as Alanna—who had the Gift of magic as well as he did—was no sorceress. She hated and feared her magic; Thom wanted to be the greatest sorcerer living.**

"Do we have to listen to this? We already know the story." Raoul asked. Alanna rolled her eyes.

"No, we're reading everything" Alanna said firmly, before remembering that she didn't want them to read the book in the first place.

**Alanna frowned and took food from her saddlebags. She didn't want to think about Thom now, when she was tired and a little lonely.**

**She sneezed twice and looked up, sharply scanning the clearing beyond the screen of willow branches.**

"What?" Raoul asked, confused.

**When supernatural things were about to happen her nose itched; she didn't know why.**

George looked thoughtful at this, and so did Myles. Then they quickly realized what it meant and started to look worried, just like the rest of them, excluding Alanna.

**And now the feel of the clearing had changed. Quickly she shoved the cloak back, freeing her arms. Searching the darkness with wide violet eyes, Alanna loosened her sword, Lightning.**

**Moonlight whickered, backing against the willow. "Something wrong, girl?" Alanna asked. She sneezed again and rubbed her nose.**

**A sound came from the trees behind her. She spun, unsheathing Lightning in the same movement.**

George frowned, worried for her. The mood tensed again, but Alanna held in giggles, knowing that it was Faithful.

**The sound was repeated, and Alanna frowned. If she didn't know better, she would swear something had **_**mewed **_**out there!**

"Huh?" Gary asked, confused.

**Then she laughed, sliding Lightning back into its sheath, as a black kitten trotted through the branches sheltering her from the rain.**

They all laughed in relief and looked at the cat. He was grooming himself in a pleased way.

**It mewed eagerly when it saw her, its ratlike tail waving like a banner. **

Faithful abruptly stopped her grooming and looked affronted. _Ratlike? Hmph! _he grumbled.

**Staggering over to Alanna, the tiny animal ordered her to pick him up.**

**The squire obeyed the kitten's command. Cuddling it against her shoulder, she searched her saddlebags for her blanket.**

**"How did you get here, little cat?" she asked, gently towelling it dry. "It's a bad night for **_**anyone **_**to be out-of-doors."**

**The kitten purred noisily, as if it agreed. **_**The poor thing is skin and bones—not someone's pet**_**, Alanna reflected.**

_Skin and bones? Look at you__—you're skinnier than me_ the cat said indignantly. Alanna laughed and stroked him.

**Wondering what its eyes looked like, she lifted its chin with a careful finger, and gulped. The black kitten's large eyes were as purple as her own.**

**"Great Merciful Mother," she breathed with reverence.**

George chuckled. "Now you know what we go through when we see you for the first time"

Alanna glared at him playfully but didn't take any offence. It was easy to forget her troubles with Jon and what was coming when she talked to George.

**Settling by the fire, she fed her guest as she thought. She had never heard of a **_**cat **_**with purple eyes. Was it supernatural? An immortal, perhaps? If so, she wasn't sure she wanted anything to do with it. She had troubles enough!**

The cat looked affronted and abruptly stood up to move away from Alanna.

**His stomach full, the small animal began to wash vigorously. Alanna laughed. Violet eyes didn't make a creature supernatural. Weren't she and Thom proof of that?**

George's hazel eyes twinkled. "Lass, I think you're proof of the opposite"

**This cat certainly behaved like a normal animal. Thinking of something, she lifted her new pet's tail and checked its sex. Satisfied he was a male, and ignoring his protests against the indignity, Alanna settled him on her lap.**

The others laughed and Faithful yowled indignantly.

**The kitten grumbled for a few moments, then settled himself. She leaned back against the willow's broad trunk, listening to the animal's very loud purr. **_**It'll be nice to have a pet to talk to**_**, she thought sleepily.**

**The sneezes hit her, five at once, blinding her momentarily.**

The good mood vanished as everyone tensed again.

**Swearing like a guardsman, Alanna wiped her watering eyes. When she could see, a tall hooded stranger was standing beside her fire!**

**Alanna jumped to her feet, her sword unsheathed and ready, spilling the yelling cat to the ground. She stared at the newcomer, fighting to calm herself. She had no right to attack this—man? woman?—simply because she had been surprised.**

**"May I be of service?" she gasped. The kitten was tugging on her boot, demanding to be held once more.**

**"Hush," she told it before looking at the stranger again.**

**"I saw your fire through the trees." The newcomer's voice was husky and soft, like the wind blowing through the treetops, and yet somehow Alanna was reminded of a pack of hounds belling in the hunt.**

There was a reverent pause as everyone tried to figure out what it meant. Then Myles let out a single word.

"Goddess"

**"Would you permit me to warm myself?"**

**Alanna hesitated, then nodded. The stranger threw back the concealing hood, revealing a woman—the tallest woman Alanna had ever seen. Her skin was perfectly white, setting off slanting emerald eyes and full red lips. Her hair was unbound, falling loosely below her shoulders in black, snaky locks. Alanna gulped. The woman's face was too perfect to be quite real, and she settled before the fire with boneless grace. She watched Alanna as she sat down clumsily again, her amazingly green eyes unreadable.**

"My god" Myles said, staring at Alanna. "The goddess"

She didn't like the way they were all staring at her, or the way that Myles seemed to be speechless. She nervously waved at Gary to read and he started, then picked up the book and started reading in an awed voice. Alanna glared at him, and then he grinned and started reading normally. Everyone else relaxed—Alanna was Alanna, even if the Goddess did talk to her.

**"It is odd to see a youngling alone in this place," she said at last. Her mouth curved in a tiny smile.**

**"There are strange tales about this tree, and what passes beneath it."**

**The kitten jumped back into Alanna's lap and purred. Alanna stroked it nervously, never taking her eyes away from her visitor.**

**"I was caught by the storm," she answered carefully. "This was the first shelter I found." **_**And now I'm sorry I found it**_**, she added to herself. **_**I don't like surprises!**_

"Do you know how many people would give anything to be in that position?" Myles asked, one eyebrow raised.

Alanna crossed her arms and stared at him evenly. "Then they can have it. I didn't ask for any of it"

Myles smiled faintly and Gary continued reading.

**The woman looked her over carefully, still smiling that hooded smile. "And so, my daughter, now you are a squire. Within four years you will be a knight. That doesn't seem so far from now, does it?"**

Raoul shook his head slightly. "I still can't believe it's been almost seven years!" he exclaimed.

**Alanna opened and closed her mouth several times with surprise before biting her lips together. The "squire" part was easy; beneath her cloak she was wearing the royal uniform, as was required when squires went abroad without their masters. But the woman had called her "my daughter"; the stranger knew she was a girl, even though she was dressed as a boy with her breasts bound flat! And her own mother had died years ago, when Alanna was born. Suddenly she remembered that she had heard the woman's voice before. Where? At last she made the safest answer she could.**

**"I don't want to seem rude, but I'd rather not speak of the Ordeal," she said flatly. "I'd like not to **_**think **_**of it, if possible."**

**"But you must think of it, my daughter," the woman chided. Alanna frowned. She had almost remembered. . . . "When you undergo the Ordeal of Knighthood, many things will happen. You will become a knight, the first woman knight in more than a hundred of your years. You will have to reveal your true sex soon after that; your own nature will not let you remain silent for long. I know well how much you hate living a lie before your friends at the palace."**

Alanna stayed silent. She had hated lying to her friends, but was this really better? Having all her secrets read aloud?

**Alanna stiffened. She had remembered that voice. Jonathan had been a boy, dying of the Sweating Sickness. The palace healers said there was no hope, but Alanna—only a page then—had gotten Sir Myles to convince them to let her use her healing Gift. The sorcery causing the fever was too much for the magic she knew, and in the end she had appealed to the Great Mother Goddess. She had heard a voice that hurt her ears—a woman's voice that sounded like a pack of hounds in full cry, like the huntress urging them on. And she had heard that voice again, only a year ago, when she and Jon were trapped in the Black City. They had called on the Goddess for help then, and she had told them what to do.**

Myles shook his head. "You've already spoken to the goddess three times, and not even a knight" he said.

**"That's impossible," she whispered, her voice shaking. "You—you can't be—"**

**"And why not?" the Mother asked. "It is time we talked, you and I. Surely you know that you are one of my Chosen. Is it so strange that I have come to you for a time, my daughter?"**

_**Life is difficult enough without the gods meddling in it**_**, Myles had told her more than once. **_**But they will meddle. All we humans can do is hope they tire of their meddling soon and leave us alone!**_

Alanna grumbled. "Not going to happen" she said regretfully.

**Alanna clenched her chin stubbornly. "I never asked to have conversations with the gods," she informed the immortal on the other side of the fire.**

**"Indeed, you ask very little." The Mother nodded. "You prefer to do all you can by yourself. But events for you in the next few years will determine your life's course, and you have no living mother to advise you." The kitten jumped from Alanna's lap and ran to the Goddess, mewing angrily.**

_It was rude_ he said by way of explanation.

**The woman picked him up in a graceful hand, stroking his fur with scarlet-painted nails. "She will be all right, Small One. She only needs a moment or two to adjust to her fear."**

**"I am not afraid," Alanna snapped.**

Raoul snorted.

**Emerald eyes caught and held hers, until she swallowed and looked away. "All right—I'm afraid.**

George grinned. "Hurrah, she admitted it!" he cheered. "I always knew it would take nothing short of the gods themselv's to get you to admit your fears"

**But it won't do me any good to give into it, will it? I mean, you're going to talk to me, and I can't prevent you, so I may as well accept it."**

**The Goddess nodded. "You learned your lessons as a page well," she approved. "But you have three fears that you have not accepted." When Alanna said nothing, she went on. "You fear the Ordeal of Knighthood. You have feared it since you kept vigil during Prince Jonathan's Ordeal during this last Midwinter Festival."**

Jon shuddered, remembering. He tightened his around Alanna's, and leaned into her a miniscule amount.

**Alanna looked into the fire. Seeing that it was burning low, she busied herself with putting more wood on the flames. In her mind she saw Jonathan stumble out of that iron-barred Ordeal Chamber, his face grey. He had looked at her without seeing her—Jonathan! Sometimes even now his eyes went dark and blank, and she knew he was remembering the Ordeal. **

**Her voice shook as she said, "He looked like some part of him **_**died **_**in there. And then Gary had his Ordeal the next night, then Alex, and then Raoul—and they **_**all **_**looked that way."**

All the knight's faces darkened as they remembered it. Jon squeezed her hand again, hating that he was causing her pain.

**She shook her head, not looking at the Goddess. "They're none of them cowards. Whatever happened, if it was so bad for them—" She drew a deep breath. "Jon wakes up at night, **_**screaming **_**sometimes. And it's the Ordeal he dreams about, though he isn't permitted to tell me more than that. If the Ordeal is that bad, I won't pass it. I won't, and then it will all go for nothing: three years as a page, four as a squire, the lying, everything. It'll be for nothing." She stared into that unreadable face. "Won't it?"**

"If you fail, yes" Jon said. "But you're not going to" he said, squeezing her hand again.

**"Prince Jonathan made you his personal squire, knowing you were a girl," the Goddess replied. "You have learned there is a world outside Trebond. You can ride; you can use a bow; you can fight with knife and sword and spear. You can read a map. You manage your fief through Coram while your brother studies. You can write and speak in two tongues not your own; you can heal one who is sick. I think you must answer your own question—is it worth what you have done?"**

Jon hugged her. "You will. You will pass it" he said, his eyes shining. She pulled back after a moment, and Gary continued reading as Myles eyed the two.

**Alanna shrugged. "It is now. It won't be if I fail. Sometimes I wake up in the dark sweating, and I'm going to scream, except I don't. That would bring Jon into my room, and we agreed he shouldn't, not after we go to bed for the night.**

Alanna blushed at this sudden mention, but was glad when no one noticed and Gary went on without interruption.

**And all I can remember of the dream is that they're closing that iron door behind me, and I'm in the Chamber, and I can't see a thing."**

**"A dream is only a dream," the Goddess murmured as Alanna looked skeptical. She added softly, "Would it be so terrible if Jonathan **_**did **_**come to offer you comfort?"**

Raoul grinned slyly at the pair, his eyes flicking to their intertwined hands. "Oh, I'm sure _Jon_ would have enjoyed it"

Their hands broke apart as if on fire. Jon punched him in the shoulder a little harder than necessary, and Alanna's glare barely hid her blush.

**Alanna blushed. "Of course it would. He—well, there's nothing like **_**that **_**between us. I don't want there to be."**

Jon looked hurt for a moment, but remembered that things had changed. She loved him now, and would marry him someday. He didn't notice her grimace.

**"Because you fear love," the Goddess told her. "You fear Jonathan's love and the love of the Rogue, George Cooper.**

All eyes flicked to George, who had a faint tinge to his cheeks, and then to Alanna, who was blushing profusely. Jon's hand tightened around hers' again, this time in jealousy.

**You even fear the love of Myles, who only wants to be your father.**

Myles smiled softly at his mention, and Alanna looked at him, wondering if it was true.

**Yet what is there for you to fear? Warmth? Trust? A man's touch?"**

**"I don't **_**want **_**a man's touch!" Alanna shouted.**

George grimaced. "It don't do to lose your temper with the gods, although if anyone would, it's you" he said.

**Horrified, she put out her hands in a gesture of apology.**

**"I'm sorry. I meant no disrespect. I just want to be a warrior maiden and go on adventures. I don't want to fall in love, especially not with George or Jon. They'll ask me to give them parts of **_**me**_**. I want to keep **_**me **_**for myself.**

Jon looked at her with barely-disguised hurt, but George looked understanding.

**I don't want to give me away. Look at my father. He never really got over my mother's death. They told me when he died last month he was calling for her. He gave her part of himself, and he just never got it back. That's not going to happen to me."**

"Lass, that's what love is. Your Pa got a part of your Ma's heart, just as she took part of his." George said softly. Alanna looked at him, understanding a little better.

**She drew a deep breath. "What's my third fear? I may as well hear it now and get it over with."**

They all smiled at the typical Alanna-behaviour.

**"Roger, Duke of Conte." The Goddess's voice was low, soft and deadly.**

Jon froze, and they all stared at her.

**Alanna froze. Finally she said carefully (and very quietly), "I have no reason to fear Duke Roger. None at all." Then she put her head in her hands. "I don't have any **_**reason **_**to fear him—but I do."**

Jon frowned at Alanna, and she avoided his gaze, looking instead at the carpet.

**If she had doubted her visitor's identity, the fact that she was being so frank—almost against her will—convinced her. "I **_**hate **_**him!" she yelled suddenly, lifting her face from her hands. It felt good to say it, after all this time. "You know what **_**I **_**think? The Sweating Sickness. It drained every healer who tried to cure it. It struck only in the capital, nowhere else, and Jon was the last one to get it. They knew it had to be sorcerer's work. They sent for Duke Roger to help, but **_**none **_**of them—the King, Myles, Duke Gareth, Duke Baird—none of them thought Duke Roger might have created it!**

Alanna had to extract her hand from Jon's. He was squeezing enough to hurt her, and his continued silence worried her.

**Thom says Roger is powerful enough to've sent it from as far as Carthak, where he was, and Thom ought to know." Alanna stood and strode around inside the shelter of the willow, her hands linked tightly in her belt. "When Roger tested me for magic, my head felt all funny, as if someone had been digging through my brain with a stick. Thom wrote me he was being watched up in the City of the Gods. And last summer—"**

Alanna watched Jon wearily, expecting an outburst any moment.

**"Last summer?" the Goddess prompted.**

**"I don't think Jonathan would have gone **_**near **_**the Black City if Roger hadn't gathered us all to warn us about how dangerous it was.**

"He wanted us to get rid of the Ysindir!" Jon insisted. The others looked at him, hesitating and seeing Alanna's point of view.

**Jonathan's very responsible about being the Heir; he wouldn't risk his life foolishly. But Roger was wearing a great blue jewel around his neck. He twisted it while he talked to us, and the light bouncing off it made me sleepy, till I stopped looking at it. It seemed to me that Roger was talking only to Jonathan, **_**daring **_**Jon to go to a place where Roger knew he could get killed!" She sighed and settled back against the tree, feeling better than she had in a long time. "I can't say anything to Jon. I tried to, once, but he got angry with me. He **_**loves **_**Roger. So does the King. Roger's handsome, young, clever, a great sorcerer. **_**Everyone **_**thinks he's wonderful. No one stops to think that if something happened to Jonathan, Roger would be the heir. No one but me, that is."**

Alanna thought. _George_ had believed her, and so did Myles. Even her other friends were seeing her side now, but Jon still refused to consider his precious uncle could be betraying him, she thought bitterly.

**"What will you do about this third fear?" the Goddess wanted to know. She shooed the kitten off her lap.**

**"Watch," Alanna said wearily. "Wait. Mostly watch him as carefully as I can. George—the thief—he'll help. Thom's helping, as much as he can." She had rarely felt this tired in her life. "And if Roger is what I suspect, I won't stop until I've destroyed him."**

**The Goddess nodded. "Then you are dealing with this fear, my daughter. Time will end your fear of the Chamber of the Ordeal, and your fear of love? Well, who knows what may happen to change your mind?"**

**"Nothing will change my mind," Alanna said firmly.**

Alanna smiled ruefully. She had been proved wrong on that one, hadn't she?

**"Perhaps." The Goddess reached into the bed of the fire and drew out a single red-hot coal. "My time with you comes to an end. Take this from my hand."**

There was a collective gasp from most of the people in the room.

**Alanna swallowed hard. This was asking a bit much, even for a goddess. She looked up and met the Mother's eyes with her own. Slowly, trembling, she reached out and took the coal.**

**It was cold! Startled, she nearly dropped it. Looking at it, she saw that the ember seemed to burn within a crystal shell. There was even a tiny loop in the crystal, just big enough to permit a chain to pass through. The ember flickered in its shell, its hot red glare fading to a soft glow.**

They all looked at the chain that led to the crystal hidden at Alanna's throat. Her hand went to it automatically.

**The Goddess rose. "The Chamber is only a room, though a magical one, and you will enter it when the time comes. Duke Roger is only a man, for all he wields sorcery. He can be met and defeated. But you, my daughter—learn to love. You have been given a hard road to walk. Love will ease it. Much depends on you, Alanna of Trebond. Do not fail me!"**

**Remembering her manners, Alanna jumped to her feet. "I won't fail you," she promised, her hand closing tight around the ember. "Or at least, I'll try not to."**

**"A goddess can ask no more." The Mother looked down at the little black animal sitting now by**

**Alanna's feet. "Guard her well, Small One."**

**The kitten mewed in reply as Alanna glanced at him. Was there more to her new pet than she had thought?**

_Of course!_ He yowled. _Did you think I was just a stray?_ He asked indignantly.

Alanna smiled and petted him soothingly.

**The Goddess held out her hand. "Wear my token, and be brave. But remember—I did not jest when I said there are strange tales about this tree. Do not stray beyond your fire!" She smiled. "Fare well, my daughter."**

**Alanna kissed the immortal's hand, feeling weird energy jolt through her body. She stepped away, shaking her head to clear it. "Fare well, my Mother."**

**The Goddess walked over to Moonlight, caressing the mare for a moment and talking to her in a soft voice. Then she raised her hand to Alanna a last time, and she was gone.**

**Suddenly Alanna could barely keep her eyes open. It was a struggle to lay out her bedroll and to bank the fire, but she forced herself to perform the chores. Thinking about the strange conversation she had just had would have to wait. When she tumbled into her bedroll at last, the kitten was already inside.**

**"Don't snore," she ordered it sleepily. The kitten replied that he would not snore if she did not.**

_Which you did_ Faithful said mildly. She glared at the cat.

"I do not snore!" she said, glaring at the cat. He was busy washing himself and didn't answer.

**Alanna nodded in agreement and went to sleep, tightly clutching the crystal ember.**

**IT WAS a relief to get back to the palace the next day, back to familiar places and familiar friends. She still missed burly Coram, managing Trebond for her and Thom until she won her knight's shield, but there was no help for that. With Lord Alan dead and Thom not caring about anything but his studies,**

Alanna stiffened slightly at the mention of her father and Thom.

**this arrangement was for the best, at least until Alanna was ready to begin adventuring. Then she would want Coram with her.**

**On her first night back she was feeding her new kitten his evening meal when she heard voices in Jonathan's room just before he knocked on her door.**

**"It's your overlord, squire," Jonathan called. It was their private phrase that meant **_**There are people with me**_**.**

Raoul stared at them. "You have secret phrases?" he asked jealously.

Alanna shrugged, smiling slightly at his effort to lighten the mood.

**"Let me in!"**

**Alanna opened the connecting door, and Jonathan entered with their friends Gary and Raoul.**

**"We came to see if you wanted to go down to the Dancing Dove with us and visit George," Gary told her. "How about it?"**

**Alanna's face lit up. She hadn't had a long visit with the King of the Thieves since just before her father died, nearly six weeks ago. She was pulling on her boots when Raoul exclaimed, "Great Mithros, a cat! What are you doing with one of **_**those**_**? It probably has fleas."**

Faithful sniffed and glared at Raoul indignantly. Alanna petted him soothingly.

**Jonathan stopped to let the kitten sniff his fingers. "Can't you tell a sorcerer's familiar when you see one?" he joked. "And do familiars **_**have **_**fleas?" Picking the tiny animal up, he saw its face. His own sapphire-blue eyes widened. "Goddess!"**

_That's better_ Faithful approved.

**Raoul and Gary gathered around, staring at the kitten whose eyes were the same color as their friend Alan's. Finally Raoul gulped and asked, "What will you name him? **_**Is **_**it a him?" Alanna nodded.**

**"'Pounce,'" Jon suggested.**

_Hmm… Not bad_ Faithful yowled. _But I think Faithful suits me quite well._

**"'Blackie,'" was Raoul's choice.**

_You have no taste!_

**"How about 'Raoul'?" Gary wanted to know.**

_Amusing, but not dignified enough for me._

**The kitten reached one paw for Alanna, mewing. She took her new pet from Jonathan and set him beneath her left ear—it was his favorite spot. "I rather like 'Faithful,'" she admitted.**

_A name we both agreed on_ Faithful purred approvingly. Alanna looked amused.

"How? At that point we couldn't talk" she said.

Faithful did what would be the cat equivalent of a shrug. _If I had disagreed, you would have known._

Gary continued reading once he was sure they were done, looking a little amused at the seemingly one-sided conversation.

**Jonathan unsheathed his dagger. As if he were knighting the cat, he touched it on both shoulders, then on the head. "I dub thee 'Faithful,'" he said solemnly. "Serve honorably and well."**

**True to his name, Faithful followed Alanna everywhere. In the practice yards he claimed a convenient post where he could sit and watch her practice her fighting skills with the other squires and pages. It took him longer to sneak into most classrooms. Myles let the kitten watch from the start, saying cats had the right to learn history as well as anyone. But Alanna's other teachers—most of them Mithran priests—tried to keep her pet out for days, but by the end of each class he had appeared inside. Finally the masters stopped trying.**

_Hmph. As if they could keep me out_

**They even petted the cat absently as they taught.**

Faithful purred and Alanna giggled. "No one can resist you, can they?" she said, smiling as she stroked her companion.

**There was one class Alanna refused to let Faithful come to: Duke Roger's class for those Gifted in magic (Alanna and Jonathan, among others). She didn't know what the sorcerer would think of her pet, and she didn't want to find out.**

Jonathon frowned and abruptly moved further away from Alanna. Her mouth thinned with sadness and determination—she didn't like how Jon was acting, but she also wasn't going to be shunned for her opinions. Especially when she had more and more evidence that she was right.

**For the rest of the time Faithful stuck to Alanna like a small black burr. Gareth, Duke of Naxen, Gary's father, let Faithful follow Alanna freely when he saw that the kitten took no one's attention away from learning. The sight of Alan with his pet under his left ear soon became a familiar one at the palace.**

**While Faithful clearly liked Myles, Jon and most of Alanna's other friends (including George) and would stay with them when Alanna was busy, only she was given the privilege of carrying him on a shoulder.**

**"Maybe he's afraid of heights," Gary suggested**

Faithful hmphed, glaring at Gary.

**one rainy May afternoon, shortly after Alanna's fifteenth birthday. It was a rare, quiet time for the young knights and Alanna. Gary and Raoul, with the afternoon off, had given their squires Geoffrey and Douglass free time as well. Raoul and Jonathan played backgammon, while Alex—the fifth member of their circle and the only one not secretly friends with George—watched. Gary sprawled in a window seat, thinking of a way to escape a visit to Naxen that summer. Alanna curled up in another window seat, listening to Faithful purr into her left ear and thinking about nothing at all.**

**"Hm?" Alanna asked sleepily, realizing Gary was talking to her.**

Gary pouted playfully. "I'm not that boring, am I?" he said, glancing at Alanna. He was glad to see that she was relaxing a little more, her mouth moving into a small smile.

**"Faithful. Maybe he won't sit on our shoulders because he's afraid of heights."**

**"Maybe he's right." Jonathan grinned. "Even Alex is half a head taller than our Alan."**

**"Thanks," Alex said drily.**

**The door opened, and Duke Roger came in. The family resemblance between him and Jonathan was unmistakable, although the Duke's eyes were a darker blue than his cousin's, and his hair brown-black to Jon's coal-black. Both had the fair skin, straight-cut noses and stubborn chins that ran in the Conte line.**

"What a flattering description" Gary said suggestively, grinning as Alanna blushed and looked for something to throw at him. It was a good distraction for Alanna, and it stopped her from noticing that Jon's shoulders had stiffened at the mention of his cousin and he had moved further away from Alanna.

**"There you are, Alex," the older man was saying. "I hate to ask this, but a truly important package has arrived for me at Port Caynn. You are the only one other than myself I trust to go. Will you?"**

**Alex grinned and stood. "It's my pleasure, your—"**

**"Let go of me, you blasted cat!" Alanna yelped as Faithful's claws dug into her shoulder. His fur bristled; his back was arched; and he was growling deep in his throat as he stared at the Duke. Alanna tried to pry her pet loose as she said through gritted teeth, "Stop making a scene." The sorcerer was**

**watching them!**

Faithful hissed, his fir bristling. Alanna didn't seem to notice how Jon's jaw clenched, seemingly becoming more upset with Alanna with every mention of his cousin.

**His attention caught, the big man came forward. "A new pet, Alan?"**

_More than just a pet, meddler_ Faithful hissed, his eyes flashing. Alanna looked at Faithful, glad that at least someone didn't think Duke Rodger could do no wrong.

**"He **_**was**_**, until he started **_**this**_**." Alanna worked Faithful loose and held him up. The kitten twisted to keep his eyes on Roger, growling. "What is the **_**matter **_**with you?" Alanna demanded, trying to make him look at her before Roger saw his eyes. "Behave yourself! Sir, he's never done this before—"**

**Roger drew a little closer, and Faithful slashed at him with unsheathed claws. "I think I'm being warned away," the sorcerer remarked, stopping where he was. He looked Faithful over as Alanna tried to work a large lump out of her throat. "Unusual eyes," he commented at last, and Faithful yowled. "I have just come from the kennels—perhaps he smells the dogs on me. Or perhaps he knows I have never been a fancier of—" He paused, and Alanna felt her skin turn to ice. "Of cats," he finished.**

**Alanna cradled her still-rumbling pet against her chest. Roger either knew or guessed where her pet came from, but he wasn't saying. That was fine with her. "It's probably the dogs, sir," she agreed. "He likes people and horses, but dogs don't suit him." The others looked at her, knowing as well as she did that Faithful left dogs alone, while dogs avoided Faithful. It wasn't **_**quite **_**a lie, and the Duke seemed to accept it. He nodded to Alex, and they left together.**

**When they were gone, Alanna picked the kitten up and read him an impressive lecture on manners. By the time she finished, Faithful was purring, her friends were laughing, and the whole thing had been**

**forgotten—she hoped.**

"You never told me—why did you react that way?" Alanna murmured quietly to her pet.

He flicked his ears back and settled back to lie on the floor, relaxing once again. _I knew he was trouble _he said simply, his purple eyes watching Alanna evenly.

**Nevertheless, that night she wrote her brother Thom in the City of the Gods, sending the letter secretly by way of George. Thom was the sorcerer—not she. He should know about Faithful—and about the cat's**

**reaction to Duke Roger.**

Jon shook his head angrily and stood up, abruptly moving to the seat furthest from Alanna. The others watched them wearily, ready for Alanna to react, to do anything. But she didn't. She just sat there in stony silence, raising her chin defiantly and glaring at him.

Gary sighed at the tension that had returned to the room. "That's the end of the chapter" he announced, handing the book out to anyone who would take it.

George reached forwards and took it from him. To Alanna he quietly murmured "Don't be sad, lass. He's too stubborn to admit he's wrong, and too blind to see you're right"


	3. Duke Roger of Conte

**Chapter ****2 **George read.

**Duke Roger of Conte**

The tension in the room tangibly solidified, George's eyes flicking to Jon and Alanna at the title. Faithful's tail flicked and he placed his purple orbs solidly on Jon, who was a little uneasy at the unblinking stare. After a few moments, George continued reading, warily glancing at Jon as he did so.

**THAT hot July an embassy came to court from Tortall's eastern neighbor, Tusaine. Important matters were to be discussed. Spies had reported the King of Tusaine was considering retaking the Drell River Valley on the Tortallan border, and King Roald wanted to avoid war at all costs. Unlike his famous father, Roald was not known as "Empire-Builder," but as "The Peacemaker." He was proud of that title, and he wanted to keep it. Everyone knew that Mikal of Danne, the Tusaine Ambassador, had actually**

**come to see if "The Peacemaker" had the stomach for war.**

**The delegation from Tusaine was carefully watched, but its people received the best hospitality Roald could command. As Jonathan's squire, Alanna was very much in the thick of things, serving at secret meetings and accompanying her Prince to what seemed to be an endless number of parties and dances.**

Gary hesitated, thinking about making a joke about Jon referred to as 'her Prince', but decided against it. Not with the tension between the two ready to turn out in a shouting match.

**Tension was in the air. In the meetings, Ambassador Mikal became arrogant, thinking Roald was weak rather than quiet. Friendly discussions between Alanna's friends and the Tusaine knights grew sharp as**

**each group challenged the other to more and more difficult contests of craft and skill. Matters finally came to a head during what was supposed to be a small, quiet evening party.**

Myles chuckled dryly, seemingly choosing to ignore the stiff mood of the room. "Things usually do happen at what are supposed to be small, quiet parties. It's rather rare that anything gets accomplished at a meeting that it's supposed to be about"

**Alanna, Gary's squire, Sacherell of Wellam, and Raoul's squire, Douglas of Veldine, served the wine at this gathering, following Duke Gareth's instructions to keep their guests' glasses full and to report anything interesting they might overhear. Courtiers dressed in their finest chattered and flirted as the three obeyed with enthusiasm, trying to get as much from the Tusaine party as they could. Duke Roger entertained Mikal while the Ambassador's wife, Lady Aenne, told Queen Lianne and King Roald stories**

**of the Tusaine Court.**

**Gary, Raoul, Alex and Jonathan were talking with some of the younger Tusaine knights, when suddenly everyone was looking at the group. Dain of Melor, a Tusaine knight, was sneering loudly, "Fencing! I've seen what you call 'fencing.' Back home we call it dancing! Prince Jonathan, our Tusaine **_**three**_**-year-olds handle a sword better than some of your knights!"**

"Melor always was a hot-head" Myles said.

Gary and Raoul grinned, remembering what happened that night. Melor deserved what he got for insulting their hosts, something that was lectured against in almost every single etiquette book they were assigned.

**"You are rude in the palace of your host," Gary replied carefully, his broad shoulders tense. Alanna could tell he was fighting to keep his voice even. "I wish it were possible to teach you some manners."**

**For a moment no one spoke. Nearly every Tortallan knight—with the exception of Myles, who was watching and drinking—had put his hand on his sword hilt. The Tusaines gripped theirs, ready for anything.**

**Ambassador Mikal turned to Roger. In the quiet his voice was very clear. "I must apologize for young Dain." He bowed in Roald's direction. The King inclined his head, silently accepting the apology. Mikal added with a sly smile, "I fear I must agree, however. We seem to have done better by the martial arts in Tusaine. Perhaps peace has dulled your fighting edge?"**

**Alanna touched the ember-stone beneath her shirt, wondering what would happen next. She turned. Raoul, standing by the hearth, was shifting slowly into a fighting stance. His coal-black eyes were snapping with fury, and he gripped his sword hilt with a white-knuckled hand.**

**Frantically she signalled Douglass to look at his knight-master. Her friend hurried over to Raoul and shoved a wineglass in the big knight's hand, talking softly and quickly. After a second's hesitation, Raoul released his hilt with a sigh.**

"And it's a good thing I noticed, too. Do you have any idea what might have happened if you reacted?" Alanna reprimanded. Raoul looked abashed.

**"I differ with you, Sir Dain," Jon was saying, a touch of amusement in his voice. "Even our pages and squires know how to handle a sword against a full knight. But since our honor and our teachers are in question, perhaps we must show you what a Tortallan can do."**

The tension between Alanna and Jon dimmed somewhat as the excitement over what was about to happen increased.

**Dain adjusted his sword belt. "Bring on your champion, Highness. I am sure I can prove Tusaine superiority over any man of your court."**

**Jon glanced at Alanna, smiling ironically, and she immediately guessed what he had in mind. It **_**would be a brilliant tactical stroke if I could pull it off**_**, she thought. **_**I'm an unblooded squire in Dain's eyes. At least, it would be a brilliant tactical stroke if I won.**_

**She looked the Tusaine knight over. He was a head taller than she was, with broad shoulders and strong arms, but he was overconfident, and he had been drinking. She nodded to let Jonathan know she was game.**

**The Prince smiled icily at the other man. "Not 'our champion,' Sir Dain. I said 'even our pages and squires.'" He nodded to Alanna. She handed her wine pitcher to Sacherell, who nearly dropped it, and walked quickly over to the group of young knights, her heart thumping with excitement. "Your Highness?" she asked, bowing politely.**

**Jonathan beckoned to her. "I'm sure my personal squire Alan here would oblige you."**

**The Tusaine knight stared at the short, slender Alanna, his jaw hanging open.**

Raoul snorted. "Because that didn't make him look stupid at all"

**"You want me to fence with a **_**squire**_**?" Dain's voice rose and cracked; someone giggled.**

**"Are you afraid?" Jonathan wanted to know.**

**The other man gasped and sputtered before he could speak again. "I've fought in six duels!" he snapped finally. "I've been killing mountain bandits since I was smaller than **_**him**_**." He pointed to Alanna. "If I was ever smaller than him!"**

**Alanna knew exactly what Jonathan was trying to do, and she knew it was her turn to add fuel to the fire.**

Myles watched Alanna and Jonathan evenly, trying to understand why Jon was being so hot-headed about this when they clearly worked together so well.

**"Did you need me for something, my Lord Prince?"**

**Jonathan shrugged, his eyes never leaving Dain. "I thought you might fence with Sir Dain, Alan, but he no longer seems to be interested. I'm sorry to have called you away for nothing—"**

**"By Mithros, I'll do it!" Dain snapped. "I fear no child!"**

**Jonathan bowed to his parents. "If Your Majesties will excuse us, we would like to go to the first fencing gallery."**

**Turning to look at the King, Alanna saw the oddest look on Alex's face. He looked—eager, for some reason. Surely he wasn't looking forward to her risking her life? They had been friendly rivals for years—each trying to be better at fencing, archery and the other fighting skills than the other—but it was still **_**friendly **_**rivalry.**

The others frowned slightly, trying to recall if they had seen that on the night and what it meant if it was true. Jon bitterly thought that not Alanna would start accusing Alex of being evil as well.

**She forgot about Alex when she heard the king say, "I think this is something we will all want to see. Ambassador Mikal? Lady Aenne? My lady?"**

**The Queen and Lady Aenne nodded as Mikal said drily, "It should be an interesting entertainment."**

**Servants were sent to prepare the largest of the indoor courts, while Duke Gareth's personal manservant Timon went to Alanna's quarters for Lightning. Everyone moved down to the court, Myles and Roger**

**walking with the young men surrounding Alanna. Myles was upset and made no effort to pretend he wasn't.**

"It was a stupid thing to do, and the odds were against you" Myles said. "…but you still won"

**"Are you going to throw away **_**everything**_**?" he demanded furiously. "He's a head taller than you are!"**

**Alanna shrugged. "Nearly everyone I fence with is."**

Gary cracked a grin at the comment.

**She accepted Lightning from Timon and buckled it on as Faithful yowled at her feet. Finally she picked the cat up and perched him on her shoulder. She had made the discovery that her pet's meowing actually sounded like talk to her, and she wanted to hear what he had to say now.**

Raoul snorted. "I wonder what you thought the first time you heard your cat speak to you" he said.

Alanna shrugged. "I thought I was going insane, and I said so. Then Faithful said that just because he was a cat didn't mean he couldn't have an intelligent conversation, and I figured that even if I was insane I'd be kinder to myself than making my cat sarcastic"

_**Let the foreigner be stupid**_**, he advised. **_**It shouldn't be hard. And don't get yourself killed!**_

**"Are you **_**listening **_**to me?" Myles demanded. "This isn't the time to play hero!"**

Gary snorted. "No, she's not listening to you. She's listening to the talking cat" he teased, lightening the mood a little.

**Jon rested a hand on Alanna's free shoulder. "Don't be so upset, Myles. Haven't you ever seen Alan fence? **_**I **_**have—in the Black City"**

That comment seemed to enrage Jon even further, but still he didn't say anything. Myles looked on, frowning as he tried to figure it out. He knew that Jon thought highly of Duke Rodger, but he also knew that while he might be one to overreact a little, this was too much. Especially when just the mention of Alanna herself seemed to make him angrier.

**The memory of Alan's and Jon's strange adventure a year before—of the curse removed from the Black City and of thousands of proud Bazhir tribesmen kneeling in the streets of Persopolis—silenced Myles**

**for a moment, but no longer.**

**"Dain is a practiced knight! It isn't the same!"**

**"Do **_**you **_**hear Father protesting?" Gary asked. "He's been teaching Alan and Alex privately for months now. Besides, you've got to trust Jonathan's judgment sometime. He doesn't try to get his friends killed."**

Alanna thought dryly he could have fooled her. She had risked her neck many times for his sake. She had decided to just try to ignore the waves of anger emanating from Jonathan and act as normal. There was no way she was going to stop being happy just because he wanted to act like a child.

**Alex dropped back to talk with Duke Roger. "What do **_**you **_**think will happen?" the Duke asked his onetime squire.**

**A smile crossed Alex's dark, secret face. "I think Dain of Melor is in for a large surprise."**

A troubled smile crossed Alanna's face. She was glad for the praise, but something about Alex just didn't sit right with her.

**Roger shook his head, disbelieving. "Surely you don't mean to say Alan is as good as—well, you, for example."**

**"But I do. Alan's as good as I am. Someday he may be better."**

**Roger had no chance to pursue this further since they had arrived at the fencing gallery. Far below ground level, it was cool even in this hot weather. Torches in brackets on the walls threw light into all corners. Along one wall three rows of benches were set off from the main floor by a low rail. The**

**courtiers sat down in a rustle of silks, Roger placing himself and Ambassador Mikal just behind the King and Queen.**

**At one end of the floor Dain was removing his boots and stretching himself, joking with his friends. On the other side a quiet Alanna watched Dain, ignoring her friends' talk. The Tusaine wasn't nervous—good for him. She would teach him how to be nervous.**

"That's the spirit, lass" George said, grinning as he clapped her on the shoulder. She grinned back, not noticing how Jon's eyes darked slightly and he stiffly looked away.

**Handing Faithful to Myles, she stripped off her own shoes and put on the tan fencing gloves Timon was holding for her. She didn't know that she was grinning recklessly, a merciless look in her violet eyes.**

**Jonathan watched her thoughtfully. If he weren't so angry with Dain, he might feel sorry for the other knight. He knew what Alanna could do when she was forced to it.**

A pained smile showed on Alanna's face at the praise. She was glad for it, but it also reminded her of how unreasonable he was being now.

**Duke Gareth joined them. He bent down by Alanna as she began her stretching exercises. "Don't forget to let him tire himself out while you get his measure. I know the type. He'll try to make you angry with insults. Don't let that happen—keep your head. You're good, Alan, but you aren't the best."**

**Alanna grinned impishly up at him. "No, sir. You are."**

**The Duke of Naxen slapped her lightly on the shoulder. "Don't be pert. And **_**do **_**be careful."**

**Jonathan smiled. "Don't worry, Uncle. Alan keeps his head in a fight."**

**Mikal leaned toward Roger, not bothering to keep his voice low. "The squire is brave, but this is folly. Dain is good, very good. And he cannot always control his temper. I fear this evening will have a sorrowful ending."**

Raoul snorted derisively, his eyes gleaming as he leaned forward, expectantly waiting for what would happen.

**Alanna and Dain stepped to the center of the floor, their unsheathed swords pointing down. Alanna fingered the ember-stone nervously under her shirt, wishing she felt calmer. The king stood.**

**"Are you prepared?"**

**They both faced him and bowed, then saluted him with their swords. Quickly they bowed and saluted each other, then moved until they were just a sword's length apart.**

**"Cross your weapons," the King ordered. Alanna and Dain obeyed. "Do honor to the laws of chivalry and to the customs of your lands. Guard!"**

"The squire will, the knight won't" George said scathingly before continuing.

**Dain swung his blade around, meeting Alanna's with a clear, ringing sound. He bore down, trying to force her sword to the floor. Alanna gritted her teeth and held, the muscles in her arms screaming. Dain's eyes widened; she was much stronger than she looked. He broke away and circled her.**

**"Prepare to die, boy!"**

**Alanna did not reply. It was the custom to yell insults and challenges at an opponent, but she had always thought this was a waste of breath. She had also noticed that her unusual silence made her opponents nervous. Instead she watched Dain steadily, waiting for the movement of his torso that would give his next thrust away.**

**He whipped his sword down and in. Alanna struck it away and slid her own blade straight toward Dain's heart, ready to pull back if she had to. Dain stepped back hurriedly, and Alanna lunged back before she went off-balance.**

**"A child's trick!" Dain scoffed.**

**The King winked back at Roger. "That 'child's trick' nearly worked," he murmured, to Ambassador Mikal's obvious discomfort.**

Gary grinned gleefully.

**Dain was circling and talking, trying to keep Alanna distracted until he spotted her weakness. He lunged in and back with great speed, searching for her one failure to fend him off. Alanna parried his blows and watched for an opening she could use to knock the sword from his hand: she wanted no bloodshed.**

**Sweat was trickling down her cheek, making her nervous—what if it got in her eyes? It was no comfort that Dain's shirt and tunic were soaked through on the chest and between his shoulder blades, or that he was breathing in deep, heavy gasps. Alanna grinned to herself. **_**He should have begun fencing with**__**Coram's big old sword**_**, she thought. **_**Then he wouldn't be so tired now**_**.**

**Frantic, Dain insulted her ancestors, her mother, her looks.**

Alanna snorted. "He couldn't have really said much about my ancestors. I already knew that insanity ran in my family"

**Alanna ignored him, far more worried about the sweat she could feel on her forehead. The only sound in the big room was the padding of their stockinged feet and Dain's harsh breathing. Alanna spotted a chance and lunged desperately—Dain stumbled back. She tried to wipe her face on her sleeve while he recovered.**

Gary winced, realizing that if Dain hadn't broken the rules then Alanna would be declared the loser.

**She wasn't quick enough. With a yell of triumph the knight darted forward. She stepped back too slowly, and the tip of Dain's sword sank deep into her right arm below the elbow. Cursing her bad timing, Alanna lowered her blade. She had lost. According to the rules, Dain had won by drawing first blood.**

**The fight was over.**

"Not quite" George muttered.

**He lunged for her chest, his eyes wide and crazy. Alanna jumped aside, just missing dying on the Tusaine's sword.**

George scowled darkly, thinking about how much he would love to have the Tusaine's ears in his collection.

**"Foul!" Gary yelled, furious. Others joined him, yelling "Foul!"**

**Dain ignored them. He circled Alanna, searching for another opening. Duke Gareth strode forward, his sword shimmering in his fist. He obviously planned to end the fight, and from the look on his face, if Dain got hurt it would be too bad for him!**

"He was furious later" Gary commented.

**Alanna stopped her teacher with a shake of the head. A cold, glittering fury filled her chest. She loved the laws of chivalry, and this Tusaine barbarian had just broken them. He would pay for that, and pay well.**

The excitement mounted, Gary and Raoul leaning forwards in anticipation,

**Slowly she stepped back and away from Dain, painfully transferring Lightning into her left hand. Blood dripped onto the floor from her right arm. **_**I'll have to be careful and not slip in it**_**, she thought as she readied herself.**

**Faithful yowled encouragement as Alanna lunged forward viciously. Lightning met Dain's sword with a crash. Instantly she pulled away, then thrust in again. The knight blocked clumsily, falling back as she**

**bore in on him. Her sword never stopped moving; she never stopped looking for an opening. There it was!**

Raoul cheered and Alanna grinned.

**She brought Lightning down, under and up, catching Dain's hilt and yanking the sword from his hand. It went flying. In his haste to escape, the man stumbled, falling flat. Alanna darted forward to press Lightning's brightly gleaming point into Dain's throat. The Tusaine knight looked up into the coldest eyes he ever hoped to see.**

**"Stupid," Alanna told him quietly, her voice shaking with fury. "That was very stupid. And you're lucky I'm a better 'knight' than you are, or you'd be dead." She turned contemptuously and walked back to her friends, letting Jon brace her as Duke Gareth bound up her wound.**

There was a pause, and then the room erupted in cheers, most of them from Gary and Raoul who were exaggeratedly clapping Alanna on the back as they congratulated her. She blushed from the praise, laughing as George and Myles looked on with twinkling eyes.

Only Jon didn't say or do anything, staying seated stonily in his seat as his eyes narrowed.

Eventually it died down and George continued reading, his voice slightly breathless from trying to read over Gary and Raoul.

**"He was holding back," Ambassador Mikal murmured thoughtfully. "All along—that boy was holding back." He looked at Roald. "If all your young knights are like that one squire, your army must be formidable indeed."**

**"See for yourself." The King pointed to Jonathan, quiet and commanding; big Gary and even bigger Raoul; slender, dark Alex with his catlike grace. "They are part of our future," the King said. "It is a future we all want to protect."**

**ALANNA was cleaning Lightning in her room when Myles found her. 'You didn't kill him," the knight said bluntly. "He would have killed you, but you didn't kill him." Alanna's arm was hurting; she hadn't yet gotten the chance to place healing magic on herself.**

Alanna smiled. "It's usually you who finds me right after I have a fight" she said.

**The pain made her short with her friend. "So? He was stupid. If I killed everyone who was stupid, I wouldn't have time to sleep."**

Gary snorted with laughter at the comment, and George grinned.

**"He gave you every excuse to kill him," Myles persisted. "Even his Ambassador would have understood if you had."**

"I heard him saying later that he was surprised you didn't" Raoul commented.

**"Just because **_**he **_**behaved badly is no excuse for **_**me **_**to behave badly." Alanna's lower lip began to tremble. It was too much excitement. She wanted to go to bed, and she wanted to heal her arm so it would stop throbbing. "Why are you picking on me? You of all people should've known I wouldn't kill him."**

**Myles hugged her tightly, taking care not to bump her wounded arm. "You're a good lad, Alan of Trebond," he whispered. "You give an old man hope."**

Alanna smiled widely at Myles, who smiled in return. She had completely forgotten about Jon.

**"Nonsense," Alanna growled, pleased and embarrassed by the unexpected praise. "You aren't that old. And I'm not that good a lad."**

**DUKE Roger settled into the chair before his fire, picking up a chess piece from the game set up there. It was a pawn.**

Alanna stiffened, the smile dropping off her face. Jon noticed the movement and it seemed to be the thing that set him off.

"What? Are you going to say that he's playing chess, so that makes him evil?" Jon barked suddenly, making everyone else in the room jump. They watched the two wearily as he stood up and advanced on her, Alanna getting up as well to glare at him.

"And why would I think that, Your Highness? Why would you think I thought that?" she asked scathingly. "Just because you deem fit to act like a child, doesn't mean that I'll lower myself to such standards" she spat.

He stepped back as if slapped, but soon he stepped forwards again, glaring at her with hatred. "_I'm_ the one acting like a child! You're the one that is making ridiculous accusations with barely any evidence!" he growled furiously.

George watched the two, ready to step in if he needed to. He glanced back to the page he was on, his eyes catching a phrase. He quickly scanned the text, his eyes widening. He looked back up at the two, hesitating as to whether or not to break it up. Once they read the next part of the book, it would all be pointless anyway, but he felt like this was about more than just Alanna's distrust of Duke Rodger.

"I did not make any accusations" Alanna hissed. "I _thought_. I thought my opinions, and I kept them to myself. It's not my fault that you're reading this book now, or that you see it necessary to be angry at me for my thoughts!"

Jon opened his mouth to retort, and George could see it would be something that would hurt Alanna and that he'd regret saying later. He stood up, diverting their attention as he warily stepped between the two.

Jonathan's face contorted with fury at the interruption. "Stay out of this, Cooper" Jon spat. Alanna looked at him curiously, distracted from the argument.

George frowned, controlling the urge to shake him to his senses. "I think it may be smarter to wait until the end of the chapter afore you continue this spat" he said evenly.

Jonathan glared at him, starting to refuse, but George had already started reading over him, and he had no choice but to sit down and listen. He sat next to Alanna, stiffly leaning away from her.

**The man smiled ironically; before the Black City he had thought Alan of Trebond was a pawn.**

The angry scowl on Jon's face faltered, and George looked on grimly. Alanna looked sadly at her friend, realizing how painful this would be for him. Despite that, she still felt a little smug triumph for being able to prove him wrong.

**A Gifted, athletic pawn, but a pawn nevertheless; a pawn who could be moved around by Roger.**

**The Black City—and tonight's bout with Dain—had taught him differently. Alan of Trebond was dangerous.**

**Jonathan should not have returned from the Black City.**

The determinedly angry frown on Jonathan's face slid off, and he shook his head violently. George continued reading as Alanna watched Jonathan have to reconcile with the truth of the matter.

**Roger knew that place of evil well, and he knew the Ysandir who lived there were invincible. That was why he had taken the risk, using magical suggestion to make Jonathan need to visit the forbidden place. But Jonathan had taken Alan with him, and both had come back alive. Two young, untried boys had not only escaped the Ysandir, they had destroyed them!**

Jon flinched, and despite herself Alanna was interested that her theories were being proven correct. It was a valuable insight into Duke Roger's mind, although she didn't know why the book was now in his point of view.

**Roger made a face and poured himself some wine. At least one of the gods was protecting Jonathan, maybe more; he was certain of that. It did not matter; if he had to throw earth and the heavens into chaos to get the Tortallan throne, he would.**

Jon froze at that once sentence that proved that everything he thought he knew about his cousin was wrong. His fists clenched as he thought over everything that his cousin had said to him, and everything that Alanna had said against him. Alanna… had always been herself. She had her flaws, and Jon knew that. Hell, he even liked some of them. But Roger… Roger had always been charming, perfect, never directly disagreeing or losing his temper.

It had all been an act.

"I'm sorry, Jon" Alanna said softly.

Jon looked at her. "Me too" he said thickly, hugging her and trying to convey how sorry he was with that hug.

After a few moments, Alanna spoke up from Jon's side, their hands now firmly intertwined again. "Keep reading, George" she said, glancing at Jon.

**Alan of Trebond! What did he know about the lad? What powers did the boy have?**

**Pacing his chamber furiously now, the sorcerer remembered the Sweating Sickness.**

A pained expression crossed Jonathan's face. So his cousin was responsible for that as well? Raoul stiffened at the mention of the sickness, his fists clenching.

**He had brewed a fever that would drain any healer who pursued it, sending it to both city and palace in order to make sure every healer in the capital would be too weak to help when the Prince fell ill.**

Raoul growled, abruptly standing up and heading for the door. "I'll kill him" he growled, trying to throw back Jon and Gary who were attempting to hold him back.

"Raoul" Alanna said, standing in front of him. "I know he …he was responsible for Francis's death, but you can't go after him" she spoke quickly, faltering only once. She had to get the point to his head before he just stopped listening and rode back to the castle to confront Duke Roger. "You can't!" she insisted. "We have no evidence, apart from this book, which could have been written by anybody. We need to think up a plan, some way to prove it" she said, watching him for his reaction.

He had stopped struggling to get away, but he still looked determined.

"At least wait until we finish reading the books" she quickly compromised.

He looked like he was struggling with himself for a moment, then he relaxed with a sigh, his shoulders slumping. He nodded, returning to his seat as Jon and Gary cautiously released their hold on him and returned to their seats.

After a few moments, George continued reading with a calculating expression on his face. He knew that the Duke had to pay, but he also knew that there had to be a way to do it without being sentenced to hang for murder.

**But Jonathan had survived, and the healer-lad with the wide purple eyes told Roger that Sir Myles had shown him what to do. Myles was a scholar: it was possible he had read spells that could counteract even powerful magic.**

**So he, Roger, had accepted Alan's story. Then he had questioned the boy further, reaching into his mind to see if Alan had any secrets.**

Alanna looked a little surprised that she had been right about that. She thought again of Coram's comment about being protected by the gods, and frowned. She couldn't really disagree now, could she? She had, after all, _met_ the Goddess.

**He remembered that moment even now—feeling his magic sliding over glass walls behind those innocent eyes. If he had touched a power that attacked him, he might have probed the boy with real sorcery. Instead he thought the slipperiness was stupidity or thoughtlessness.**

**He had let the page go without looking further. Three times more a fool!**

"Don't underestimate me" Alanna said grimly, her hatred towards him increasing with every word.

**There was the sword, the battered and ancient sword that Myles "just happened" to have in his armory: Roger's arm had been numb for a week after touching it. And the cat! If Faithful was an ordinary cat, Roger would swallow his wizard's rod whole. So far it seemed Alan didn't know the value of his weapons, but his "ignorance" had fooled Roger before. Even if he did not know their uses now, he would surely learn them in the future.**

**And tonight Alan had revealed another important quality he could bring to Jonathan's service: he had shown he was a great swordsman, one who could fight as well—if not better—with his left hand as with his right. Roger swore again and gulped down another glass of wine. Why had Alex never told him?**

The tension in the room stiffened once more. Alanna thought over how Alex fit into what Roger was up to—most of the signs pointed towards him working for Duke Roger, but she didn't want to believe that of her friend. There was also the side of her that argued that he hadn't told Roger about her swordsmanship, which had to count for something.

Jon didn't want to believe that another person he trusted could be a traitor.

George was looking at it objectively. He had no personal attachment to Alex, and he only knew of him what he'd read in the books. It was most likely that he was a spy for Roger, but didn't think to mention that Alanna was a good swordsman. He glanced at Alanna, deciding not to mention it until he had more evidence.

**Jealousy? A refusal to believe a boy who was still a squire could be as good as he was? The Duke scowled, fingering his short beard. He would have to be more careful now than ever; Alan, he felt, suspected him, and Alan must never get proof to back up his suspicions. Of course, there were ways and**

**ways to handle that aspect of things. Some steps might be taken soon.**

Everybody in the room stiffened. Steps had to be taken? Jon growled and squeezed Alanna's hand, determined that she would come to no harm at his cousin's hand.

**More important, Roger needed to get rid of Alan in some way that appeared natural. In fact, it might be impossible to dispose of Jonathan without first killing Alan. But it would have to be handled carefully, subtly. He could not rouse anyone's suspicions.**

George's eyes narrowed as he wavered towards agreeing with Raoul and killing the Duke as soon as possible.

Jon abruptly turned to Alanna. "Did he try to kill you?" he demanded.

Alanna winced, hoping that she wouldn't have to convince Jon not to ride to the castle and try to kill his cousin. "I'm not sure…" she said, avoiding his gaze.

He frowned, but nodded tersely turned back to face George, waving at him to continue reading.

**Roger did not want a violent civil war that would leave Tortall ruined and poor. He wanted no enemies like Duke Gareth or Sir Myles. He only wanted his uncle, his aunt and his cousin to die natural-seeming deaths within the next five years, so no one could claim he had stolen his throne. He was in no hurry. He could afford to wait, now that the Queen could have no more children; although it would do no harm to ensure that Duke Gareth, Myles and perhaps even the King never looked at him with suspicion.**

**And Alan of Trebond, who already suspected? That needed study. He must certainly put his mind to the problem of Alan of Trebond.**

"That's it" George announced to break the dark silence. He quickly scanned the next page, grinning as he handed the book to Alanna. She accepted it wearily, not liking the wicked gleam in his eyes.


	4. The Prince's Squire

**Chapter 3**

**The Prince's Squire **Alanna read. George leaned back with a small smirk and Alanna looked at him suspiciously, thinking about handing the book to someone else. It was too late though, and she had to continue reading.

**LATE one night in August—the night before Jonathan's birthday—Alanna made for the Dancing Dove, the inn that served as a meeting place for the Court of the Rogue. Reminding Faithful to behave himself, she settled the cat firmly on her shoulder and entered the inn.**

_When have I misbehaved?_ Faithful asked indignantly. Alanna didn't answer, thinking that she didn't want to get into an argument with her cat while she was the one reading.

**It took a moment for her to adjust to the smoke and noise in the large common room; the thieves and their women were louder than usual. They greeted Alanna and Faithful with yells of approval, inviting squire and cat to join them.**

**Alanna nodded to George, the Rogue himself, who was sitting at his usual place beside the now-empty hearth. "Thanks," she told the others, "but I'm here on an errand."**

**"Are ye ever here t' drink?" Scholar wanted to know. "What a sober youngling! Ye an' Johnny! (None of the thieves knew George's friend, the rich young Johnny, was in truth Prince Jonathan.)**

"Well, I didn't think it would be a good idea to tell them" Jon said dryly.

**Ye never have a drop!"**

**"'Tis unnatural!" Lightfingers bellowed. He yanked a pretty flower-seller called Laughing Nell onto his lap. "Alan, ye won't even have a drink t'celebrate th' Prince's birthday?"**

Gary snorted.

**Alanna grinned. "You're celebrating His Highness's birthday? It's not even midnight! Does he know you're so loyal, 'Fingers?"**

Jon laughed. "Well I do now"

**George stood, commanding everyone's attention. "Lightfingers just likes to drink, Alan." Fingers nodded and grinned. "And if he can't find an excuse, he drinks from sorrow. Come upstairs, lad."**

**Alanna followed the King of the Thieves to his chambers,**

Alanna shot a glare at Gary, warning him not to comment. Gary adopted an innocent look.

**sinking into a chair with relief. "Goddess, I'm tired!" she said with a yawn as Faithful let George scratch his ears. "Up before dawn today, and again**

**tomorrow. Maybe I should change my mind and become a stableboy or something."**

Jon poked Alanna playfully. "Too skinny to be a stableboy" he teased.

**George poured them each a glass of wine, then threw open the shutters, letting the cool night breeze rush in. "Anyone who wishes to be a knight is mad, to my way of thinkin'.**

"We probably are" Raoul said dryly.

**I hear you did well in your lessons with Duke Gareth today."**

**Alanna laughed as Faithful explored the room. "George, you amaze me. I wish the King's spies in Tusaine were as good as you are."**

**"That can be arranged," the thief murmured.**

"What?" Jon said, a slow grin spreading across his face. "It's a good idea, but how would you keep your sources secret?" he asked.

Alanna grinned. "Just keep reading"

**Alanna sat bolt upright. "You mean you could—you would—"**

**"I think I could be makin' some inquiries, yes. But **_**you **_**had best be certain you find a way of concealin' your source."**

**"Yes, that **_**would **_**be a problem." Alanna nodded. "I'll think about that part of it, then, and you—would you make your inquiries?" She smiled at him shyly. "It could be important. You know what the situation is with Tusaine."**

**George unlocked a large chest in the corner of the room, lifting out a bulky package and a small one and putting them on the table. "Of course," he said. "I wouldn't do it for the King, but for you and Jon I will. Aren't we friends? Here, lass. From Lord Thom in the City of the Gods to yours truly to you."**

**The large package contained a silver chain mail shirt decorated with tiny diamonds and sapphires, and a belt of woven silver wire.**

Jon frowned slightly. "I never did thank him personally for that" he murmured, making a mental note to do so the next chance he got. Maybe he could convince Duke Gareth to let them ride to the City.

**Glowing with pleasure, for Alanna had rarely seen such beautiful work, she opened her twin's letter.**

_**Sister Dear:**_

_**I trust this will serve adequately as Trebond's honorarium on the occasion of his Highness's birthday.**_

_**Are you trying to break my treasury? Just don't forget to mention my name. I did as you asked and put some protective spells on shirt and belt. In fact, I put the strongest on them I could find. The Masters questioned us for days, trying to find out who used so much magic without permission. I knew you would want the best.**_

Alanna smiled softly. Thom was rude, but he always meant the best for the people he loved.

_**Once again questions about us are being asked in the City. I think at least one of the new servants hired here at the Mithran Cloisters is also being paid to keep an eye on me. So I play twice as stupid, and I'm being very careful.**_

"A smart lad" George approved.

_**Perhaps you'll say I worry too much, but I believe you did something to make your "smiling friend" nervous.**_

Jon and Raoul stiffened at the mention of Roger, and Alanna continued reading, keeping an eye on them just in case.

_**Think about it. Give my regards to the dishonorable George, and of course formal regards from the Lord of Trebond to the Royal Family—you know how to handle that sort of thing.**_

_**Thom.**_

**Alanna read the letter to George before burning it in the candleflame. "He's got delusions," she said flatly. "Why would Duke Roger take special interest in us **_**now**_**?"**

**George swallowed his drink and poured another. "Weren't you tellin' me the Duke's been testin' your magic a bit lately? And twice you've been followed into the city by palace men."**

"That must have been part of his _solution_ about you" Jon muttered bitterly.

**Alanna stared at the thief. "**_**Followed**_**?"**

**George patted her shoulder. "They never got so far as the marketplace. I always have you or the lads watched on your way here by my people, in case my Lord Provost decides there's oddness in your city visits."**

**Alanna frowned. "Why follow me, or have Thom watched? And why **_**has **_**he been testing my magic?"**

"Wait a minute" Gary frowned, looking at Alanna. "You weren't angry that George had you followed?"

Alanna looked nonplussed. "Why would I? It was smart, and it also turned out to be a good thing"

"But if one of us did that, even if it did turn out to be a good thing, you'd throw a fit" Jon spoke up, hostility creeping into his voice.

Alanna frowned at him, then looked at George. "Well… I just didn't" Alanna said, then started reading again before anyone could say anything else.

Myles watched Jon closely, noticing how he seemed angry at George and how his shoulders were slightly stiff. He frowned.

**George shrugged broad shoulders. "This is dated July, and you beat Dain of Melor in June. He started testin' your magic after the Black City; that was a year ago. Your bein' followed dates from June, too. I'd say you worried him with your magic last year, and with your strength at arms when you beat Dain."**

**Alanna sighed and shook her head. "That doesn't make sense."**

"You often seem to say that when you don't want to admit something" Myles commented.

**George smiled thinly. "Ah, but it does, and you well know it."**

**Alanna knew what he meant, and she didn't want to even think about it. She changed the subject.**

**"Anyway, thanks. Listen, I'll keep my ears peeled around my Lord Provost. You've been more than a friend. I don't want anything to happen to you."**

"You need more practice in changing the subject" Myles commented.

**George smiled at her. "With friends like you and Jon, I doubt much ever will." Suddenly his face was very thoughtful. "How old are you, lass?"**

Suddenly Alanna stopped reading and glared at George. He smiled back innocently, showing his white teeth. The others looked at them curiously, wondering what it was.

**Alanna smiled at him. "You ought to know; I just turned fifteen."**

**He took one of her hands in his two large ones. "We marry as young as fifteen here in the city."**

The others stopped and stared at the two, Jon visibly stiffening. Suddenly Gary let out a loud bark of laughter, and then Raoul joined in as well. Gradually, it died down, Alanna switching between glaring at them and glaring at George, who was leaning back and looking pleased with himself. Only Myles noticed the look on Jon's face, and he sighed to himself, anticipating what was about to happen.

"Oh, Mithros, this'll be entertaining" Gary said, chuckling still. Alanna shot one last glare at him before continuing to read, doing it as quickly as possible to get it over with.

**Alanna laughed. "I'm not going to marry, George, you know that."**

That started a whole new line of chuckles. "You didn't see it, did you?" Raoul chuckled. Alanna turned red and didn't answer, continuing to read.

**"Shouldn't you know what love's like before you begin renouncin' it?" George was watching her, the oddest look in his eyes. Alanna's heart beat too fast; her hand was still in his. He stood, pulling her to her feet close to him.**

The frown on Jon's face grew more pronounced with every word.

**"George, you've been celebrating too much." She tried to keep her voice light and relaxed. "I never thought I'd hear you talk like this."**

"Ah, so now you get it" Gary chuckled, making Alanna's cheeks turn even redder as she narrowed her eyes at the knight.

**"Why not?" His voice was as relaxed and careless as hers. If only he would let go of her hand!**

**"Because—well, because you know me better. I have other plans."**

Despite himself, Jon was a little curious. It had never occurred to him before today that Alanna might not want to marry.

**"You're not even curious?" He refused to look away. She had never noticed before how much green was in his hazel eyes, or how long his lashes were. **

Alanna blushed harder, avoiding looking at anyone. Myles was smiling and Gary and Raoul were chuckling at her obvious embarrassment. George had a cross between a soft smile and a smirk on his face, and Jon's fists were clenched angrily as he glared at the other man.

**She **_**had **_**to pull her hand away, even if it was rude. "No," she said flatly. This conversation was far too personal! "I'm not curious at all."**

**Faithful, who had been sleeping on the windowsill, yawned and stretched. "Quite right," Alanna told her cat. Nervously she gathered up the package containing the shirt and belt.**

**"I've got to go," she announced.**

**He gathered up his sword belt. "I'll just go with you as far as the Temple District. You're carryin' valuables, remember, and even **_**I **_**don't trust my folk completely. Good swordsman you are, but you might be outnumbered."**

Raoul snorted. "Yeah, _that's_ the reason"

**He grinned as he fastened the belt around his hard waist. "Besides, one of your attackers may be a wrestler."**

**Alanna made a face at him, relieved he was talking sensibly once more. "Thanks. I **_**love **_**having my nose rubbed in my weakness."**

**George tucked the second, unopened package into his shirt front. "You'd worry me if you didn't have **_**some **_**weaknesses, little one," he informed her. "We'll take the back stairs."**

**It was fun to walk through the Lower City with him, talking about the upcoming celebrations while Faithful dashed off after real or imaginary prey. It was so late that no one was out to see them. Her hands **_**were **_**full with Jon's gift, and she knew anyone would think twice about attacking a man who moved with such muscular grace.**

"Muscular grace, eh?" Gary asked, wiggling his brows suggestively. Alanna's glared at him through her blush.

**Also, sometimes it was pleasant just to **_**be **_**with George, to relax and to forget about being a noble, about the Ordeal, about being a girl fighting to win a knight's shield. George just let her be who she was.**

A real, sincere smile spread across George's face, and Alanna had to fight the urge to smile back. A pained frown crossed Jon's face. Myles observed it all with a troubled frown, realizing that their friendship could be broken up because of their feelings for Alanna.

**"Hm?" she asked, realizing his last remark had been a question.**

**"I said, are things with the Tusaine nobles so serious? The rogues in Tusaine think it's all just a court storm, but they admit they don't know their nobles as well as we do." George's teeth flashed in a grin.**

**"Serious enough, I think," she admitted. "Anything you learn will help."**

**"Then I'll do my best." They had reached the edge of the Temple District. George could leave her there safely: the District was patrolled by warriors of different faiths, and the rest of the Palace Way was in full view of the Royal Guard.**

**The thief pulled her into the shade of a large tree, where they couldn't be seen by anyone passing by,**

Gary leaned forwards expectantly.

**and drew the small package out of his shirt front. "This is from me to Jon. Be sure you give it to him in private. You don't want folk askin' questions about the giver."**

Gary frowned, disappointed he didn't have a chance to tease his friend.

**Alanna tucked the gift into the larger bundle, juggling it all with difficulty. She looked up at her friend accusingly. "George, did you—"**

**He laughed merrily. "Oh, you mistrustin' child! No, I did **_**not **_**steal it. I had it made special for Jon. It's quite pretty, even if I did have to pay for it myself." He looked around, checking to see if anyone was coming, then suddenly tilted her face up with one hand. "Alanna," he whispered, "I'm takin' advantage of you now, because I may never catch you with your hands full again." He kissed her softly and carefully.**

Jon's fists clenched tightly and he looked like he was trying to restrain himself from strangling someone. A soft smile spread across George's face, and Gary and Raoul wolf-whistled, chuckling. Alanna looked cautiously at Jon, frowning when she saw the expression on his face.

**Alanna trembled, too shocked to do anything but let it happen.**

That was enough for Jon. He stood up, glaring at Alanna. "You kissed him!" he accused.

Alanna stood up as well. "_He_ kissed me!" she defended, gesturing angrily to George.

Jon turned to George, who stood up and calmly watched the prince. "She's mine! She's mine, and you kissed her before I did" he said furiously. A flicker of emotion passed on George's face, but before he could say anything Alanna butted in.

The others viewed this revelation with varying degrees of surprise. Gary resisted the urge to crack a joke, knowing this was not the time. Raoul had suspected, but having them proven was another thing. And Myles smiled grimly at having his suspicion proven—he had guessed they were together somewhere around the last part of the first book.

"Excuse me?! I am _nobody's_ possession, and if you think you can claim me, then you thought wrong" she said coldly, sitting back down again, determined to ignore him.

Jon raised a fist to punch the theif, but in a flash Alanna was back on her feet and standing between the two. George had his fists raised, ready and perhaps a little eager to fight him.

"Jon!" she yelled, trying to bring him back to his senses. "Is this why you've been acting strangely? Is this why you made such a big deal before? _Jealousy_?" she asked, only just realizing why Jon had been acting that way.

The others watched with varying degrees of worry. Myles nodded grimly to himself, thinking that Jon's pride would be his undoing. Gary was debating on whether to try to crack a joke to lessen the tension, but in the end he decided against it. It was more likely to just turn Alanna's wrath on him. Raoul was trying to decide if he should stop it before one of them hurt the other.

"It's about time you knew your competition, youngling" George cut in coolly. Alanna spun around to glare at him.

"I will not have you two fighting over me!" she hissed. "and I will be with neither of you until _you_" she spun to glare at Jon, "learn to grow up and stop acting like a child who's had his toy stolen, and _you_" she poked a finger at George "stop treating me like something to be won"

They both stared at her, then each other. Jon was clearly upset, but George's face was unreadable, though he too was upset.

With that, Alanna turned her back and walked away, moving to sit between Gary and Raoul and as far away as possible from the other two. She started reading, her voice clearly showing her irritation. Jon and George had no choice but to sit down, although they did it as far away from each other as possible.

Alanna glared at Faithful, as if asking 'why didn't you do anything?'. Faithful shrugged and started cleaning himself.

**"There." George released her. "Think over what I said about love."**

Despite herself, Alanna's cheeks coloured with a small blush, which somewhat decreased the impact of the glare she shot at Jon for glaring at George.

**"Pigs might fly," she snapped, her voice shaking. "I should have stabbed you!"**

**He chuckled infuriatingly. "No. I won't let you stab me and ruin our friendship. Will you be afraid to face me again after this?"**

Gary couldn't help it. He let out a chuckle, and was quite glad when Alanna didn't immediately shout at him.

**Alanna felt herself turning beet red. This was too much! "I'm afraid of no one, George Cooper," she yelled. "Especially not you!"**

Alanna glared at George, although it didn't hold much hostility. Her glare switched to Gary, who's chuckles were growing louder.

**"Until next time, then." He saluted her and headed back down to the city, whistling. Faithful rubbed against Alanna's ankles, purring.**

**"Where were you when I needed you?" she asked him bitterly. "As a chaperone you aren't much."**

_**I'm not here as a chaperone**_**, the cat replied. **_**Besides, I didn't want to interrupt. You seemed to be enjoying yourself.**_

"Traitor" Alanna muttered. Faithful didn't respond, although it distracted Alanna from Gary and Raoul's amused chuckles.

**There was no way of replying to such obvious silliness. Alanna turned and walked quickly—**_**very **_**quickly—back to the palace.**

**ALTHOUGH Alanna later remembered very little of the daylight celebrations in honor of Jonathan's nineteenth birthday, she remembered the ball that night vividly. That was when she met Delia of Eldorne**

**for the first time.**

Gary raised a brow at the mention of the woman. Jon grimaced, cautiously looking at Alanna, a little glad that he would have this opportunity to find out what she was thinking that time.

**She had been sitting in a window seat, bored and miserable, when Gary found her. She hated parties, and normally the only way she attended one was when she was pouring drinks and serving food as a squire.**

**Tonight, however, servants waited on the guests, and as Jonathan's squire she had been practically **_**ordered **_**to attend. She considered it a useless exercise. She couldn't converse with strangers easily, and she certainly couldn't flirt with the ladies as her friends did! She was busy calculating an escape when Gary, magnificent in brown velvet,**

"Why thank you, Alanna" Gary said modestly, puffing his chest out. Alanna giggled, determined to not let Jonathan and George affect her mood. She didn't notice Jon's small frown.

**discovered her hiding place. "I know you hate social events, but you'll never get used to them this way."**

**"I don't have to get used to them," Alanna retorted. "If I get my shield, I'm riding off on adventures."**

**"Nonsense!" Her friend grinned. "Come out of your shell. There are plenty of noblewomen who'd like to meet the Prince's squire, especially since June."**

**"I'm only fifteen," Alanna replied automatically. "I'm too young for girls."**

A look of realization dawned on them. "Oh…" Raoul said. "That's why you never went out!" he exclaimed.

Alanna blushed and rolled her eyes.

"You're lucky we never went through with our plan…" he murmered. Alanna turned to look at him suspiciously.

"What plan?" she asked warily.

"Oh, nothing… We just knew there was a girl who liked you and we were going to lock you in the old history classroom with her" he said, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

Alanna turned beet red and spluttered.

"But we didn't, in the end. Jon convinced us against it" he glanced at Jonathon, who had a grateful look on his face. Alanna frowned and settled back into her seat, continuing to read so she wouldn't have to respond.

**Gary smoothed his new moustache. "You're never too young for girls. **

Alanna raised a brow. "What if you're a girl?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know. To each his—or to each _her_ own" he said, grinning.

Alanna hit him on the head, blushing and laughing at the same time.

**Come on. I'll introduce you to the newest arrival. She just came yesterday, and **_**Mithros**_**!" He whistled his approval, adding smugly, "I got to meet her first." He clamped a hand around Alanna's arm and levered her out of her seat, walking her out onto the floor. It was either walk or be dragged; Alanna sometimes wondered if Gary knew his own strength.**

**She saw the trouble spot immediately: Jonathan stood at the center of a cluster of knights. He was talking to someone hidden from Alanna's view. The young men moved out of Gary's way, spotting Alanna and grinning. Squire Alan's reluctance to meet young ladies was palace legend.**

**Jonathan saw them and smiled, beckoning them forward. "Gary, you found him. Alan, come here."**

**A royal command was a royal command. Alanna moved up to stand beside the Prince, but she wasn't happy about it.**

**Seated at the center of the cluster of men was a lovely girl with chestnut-colored hair. Alanna lifted an eyebrow. Most maidens at Court wore pale colors or whites, but this one was wearing a low-cut green silk dress. Well, the color **_**did **_**emphasize her bright-green eyes as a lighter color would not.**

Gary adopted a dreamy look, at least until Alanna slapped him on the back of the head and continued reading.

**Jonathan was bowing to the vision. "Lady Delia of Eldorne, I'd like you to meet my personal squire, Alan of Trebond."**

**Alanna bowed and found herself presented with a dainty white hand. Blushing slightly, she brushed it with her lips. Never was she more aware of her real sex than at moments like these! She looked up into Delia's face, noting the pert little nose and full red lips. **_**She's a beauty, all right**_**, Alanna realized. **_**And**__**she knows it**_**.**

**"Alan of Trebond," Delia murmured, her voice light and throaty. "I've heard of you, haven't I?" She tapped her rosy mouth with her fan, one delicate dark brow carefully arched. Then she laughed merrily.**

**"The 'Squire's Squire!' And you beat that dreadful knight from Tusaine. I think that's thrilling!"**

**Alanna bowed politely. "It was nothing, Lady Delia," she murmured.**

**"Oh, but you're being modest. I'm sure no Tortallan thinks it was 'nothing'—do you, gentlemen?" Delia asked the bristlingly jealous knights around her. Alanna knew very well that at the moment her friends**

**were wishing **_**they **_**had beaten Dain, and that **_**she **_**was far, far away. In that Alanna was one with them.**

"Ah…" Raoul rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, knowing he couldn't truthfully disagree with that statement.

**She didn't like Delia, and she wanted to leave. "Do you dance, Alan of Trebond?" Delia asked now.**

**Jonathan, grinning wickedly, replied, "Of course he knows how to dance. He learned the steps as a page, as did we all." Alanna promptly resolved to put something soft and squishy in her friend's bed—very soon.**

"Jerk" Alanna muttered, momentarily forgetting that she was pretending he didn't exist. A smile spread across his face at being acknowledged.

**"And he was always stepping on someone's feet," Raoul muttered.**

**Delia placed her hand on Alanna's arm, rising gracefully from her chair. "I'm sure he dances beautifully now." She laughed.**

**The Code of Chivalry was very specific about moments like this. Red as a beet, Alanna led Delia out onto the dance floor as the musicians struck up a waltz. She had never felt so ridiculous in her life. Delia was even taller than she was!**

Gary snorted, ruffling Alanna's hair.

**Carefully Alanna whirled Delia around the floor as the girl chattered about how kind everyone was, particularly Prince Jonathan. She knew now she didn't like Delia at all, and she felt very odd whenever Delia complimented Jonathan.**

Jon started to smirk, until he saw that Alanna's face turn stiffly away from him. He frowned, trying to think of a plan to make her choose him over George.

**Finally it was over, and she returned the young noblewoman to her**

**admirers. Good manners or no, she was going. Even the Chamber of the Ordeal had to be better than dancing with a green-eyed flirt.**

**She bumped into Myles on her way out. Her friend was worse for wear, to put it mildly.**

**He toasted her with his glass of brandy. "Not sociable, Alan?" Myles asked. "You'd better learn to be. A knight is a social animal."**

"Only if they want to be" she muttered.

**"I'd sooner kiss a—"**

**"Don't, please. Sometimes you're too frank for an old man."**

**Alanna looked him over. "Need help getting back to your rooms?" she asked.**

**'No. I'm staying to watch the pretty little Eldorne girl try to hook every eligible male at Court."**

**Alanna clenched her jaw. "If she doesn't succeed, it won't be because she didn't try."**

**Myles lifted both eyebrows. "Jealous about Jonathan?"**

They stared at Myles. Alanna frowned. "Did you know, then?" she asked.

"I suspected" Myles admitted.

**"Why should I be jealous about Jonathan?" she snapped.**

**Myles shrugged. "Some women like to break up men's friendships. If I were you, I'd keep that in mind."**

**"I'll stop by in the morning with my hangover remedy. It sounds as if you'll need it." Sometimes the odd things Myles told her made too much sense for her peace of mind.**

Myles smiled wryly.

**"You're a good human being, Alan. Too good to be caught up in Court games. Run along to bed."**

**Alanna obeyed, thinking. By "Court games" Myles meant the tricks people used to win favor with important nobles, to get revenge on each other or to acquire power. Was that the kind of game Delia played? Whatever it was, it left a sour taste in Alanna's mouth.**

Jon frowned, wondering how he could have fallen for Delia's tricks. He had realized in the end that Delia had been playing him.

**IT WAS a hard winter for Alanna, and she sometimes wondered if she spent all of it in a bad temper.**

Raoul grinned. "Of course you do, you hate winter" he teased.

**The cold was worse than she could ever remember, biting into her bones at every turn. Too often she awoke shivering in the night, despite Faithful, plenty of hot bricks and a well-banked fire. Once or twice she caught herself wondering what would happen if she climbed in with Jonathan!**

A smirk crossed his face, and a grimace appeared on George's. Luckily (for them, at least), Alanna didn't notice because she was busy glaring at Raoul and Gary, who were laughing and grinning infuriatingly back at her, not taking her seriously because of the red on her cheeks.

**When the cold got that bad, she used her Gift to warm herself. The effort left her tired and cross in the morning, but to Alanna **_**anything **_**was better than feeling cold and thinking such thoughts.**

The smirk dropped of Jon's face to be replaced with a frown, and the grimace on George's was smoothed out.

**On days when she worked in the outdoor practice courts, she remembered the heat of the Great Southern Desert with longing.**

**The temperatures meant trouble at home, as well. Coram wrote her that early frosts had hurt the harvest, and Alanna found herself busy arranging for food and warm clothing to be sent to Trebond. Coram was doing his best, but he had not had a great deal of time to bring the fief back from Lord Alan's neglect.**

Alanna frowned, and George and Myles with her.

**More than once Alanna went to Myles and Duke Gareth for advice. **_**For someone who's never going to run a fief**_**, she often thought wryly, **_**I'm certainly getting plenty of practice**_**.**

**That winter, as a preliminary test to prepare the squires for the Ordeal, they were required to spend a January night out in the open in the Royal Forest. Biting back an unreasoning feeling of terror—she would **_**not **_**freeze to death, if she took care—Alanna readied the things she would need. Out on her own, she burrowed deep into a snowbank and made a snug little cave for her tent and her fur-lined bedroll. A tree behind would keep off the worst of the drifts if more snow should fall. Faithful chose to keep her company, and he seemed much warmer than she felt (even though she wore fleece-lined leather over several layers of wool and silk clothing).**

_I wasn't warmer, I could just handle it better_ Faithful sniffed.

**She had planned to go ice-fishing for her dinner, just to show Duke Gareth she **_**could **_**survive in the cold;**

Gary smiled. "of course, if anything trumps your hatred of the cold, it's your stubbornness" he teased.

Alanna glared at him. "Determination" she corrected.

Gary caught Raoul's eye. "Stubbornness" they chorused together.

Alanna was starting to regret choosing to sit between them.

**but late in the afternoon a sudden blizzard rolled in, dousing the woods in snow. Alanna and Faithful secured themselves in their burrow, and from time to time Alanna thrust Lightning through into the air to keep them from suffocating. For the rest of the night she and the cat slept—and talked. She knew it sounded like meowing to most other people, but to her Faithful talked as understandably as any human.**

"At least I'll never be lonely" Alanna grinned, stroking her cat.

**They had both fallen asleep toward dawn, when the blizzard's howling winds finally stopped. Alanna was dreaming of the desert and of a warm nap in the sun when she came wide awake. Something grunting and determined was digging in the snow overhead. Faithful's violet eyes glowed in the darkness beside her.**

They stiffened, wondering what it was.

**"I think it's a boar," Alanna hissed as soundlessly as she could. "It figures." Carefully, moving as little as possible, she worked Lightning up and free. When an ugly, cloven hoof burst through the beaten snow**

**over the tent opening, Alanna thrust upward with all her strength. She burst from the snow, shaking clumps from her face, to feel her sword wrenched from her hand.**

**The boar was squealing with rage, trying to dislodge the blade that was driven through his chest and back. Suddenly he stiffened and fell. Alanna walked toward him carefully, seeing a glaze coming over his eyes. Gripping her swordhilt to pull it free, she stopped; the boar's eyes were a demonic red.**

Jon's fists clenched, and everyone's face darkened. Duke Roger.

**Suddenly he shuddered one last time—and vanished.**

**Wordlessly Alanna gathered up her things. She didn't need Faithful to tell her—as he was, forcefully—that someone had just tried to kill her: someone with a command of sorcery. "I have no proof," she snapped, and that was the end of it. She would never tell anyone until she had proof.**

Jon silently wondered why she had told George.

**On top of everything else, there was Delia. More than once that winter Alanna thought that if she heard the lovely girl's name once more, she would scream. Jonathan spent his free time writing bad poetry to Delia and insisting that Alanna listen to him read it. Gary and Raoul fought a duel over one of her riding gloves, and Duke Gareth sent them both on border patrols to cool off. The only good thing about this punishment was that they had to take Douglass and Sacherell with them; even those two had been bitten by romance.**

They all looked sheepish at the descriptions, looking down and shuffling their feet as if they had been scolded.

**Alanna continued to dislike the girl unreasonably, staying away from her as much as she could. She sometimes felt that Delia knew Alanna detested her. She also thought Delia liked to have Jonathan's squire giving her special service: fanning Delia when she was hot, bringing her glasses of lemonade,**

**even dancing with her; all activities that got Alanna into trouble with her lovesick friends. Jonathan went so far as to accuse her of using Delia to make her masquerade as a boy seem more believable!**

Alanna glared at Jon, the memory of that old hurt resurfacing. George and Myles looked at Jon, trying to figure out how the future leader of the kingdom was so stupid when it came to Alanna.

**He later apologized, but it was their first big fight, and Alanna couldn't quite forgive Delia for being the cause.**

**Alanna was forced to listen when Jon ranted about Delia's flirtations with other knights, and she suffered through his attempts at poetry. She tried to be the best friend to him she could, because it was obvious (to her, if not to Jonathan) that Delia was toying with him. The girl would convince Jon one day that she was his alone, and ignore him the next. Soon they were sleeping together—sometimes.**

Alanna frowned, and Jonathan blushed.

**Which only made it worse. Jon was cross and elated by turns.**

**Only Alex and his squire, Geoffrey of Meron, seemed unaffected by Delia, and it was a welcome change to talk with them. It was during one such conversation with Alex on a windy day in March that Alanna discovered they wanted to test each other. Before he had passed the Ordeal, Alex had been the best of the squires; now he was getting a reputation as one of the finest knights in Tortall.**

**He and Alanna had been talking about what it was like to be good, with everyone watching for mistakes, until it was only natural to find one of the indoor fencing courts and see which of them was better. They had agreed a referee was not necessary, since they were only using blunt practice swords. Not even Faithful was there.**

George tensed, and Faithful's eyes flickered.

_It was stupid not to have me there_ he chided. Alanna frowned and stroked him as an apology.

**Alanna watched Alex stretch as she did so herself, excitement running through her veins. She had always wondered if she was as good as her dark friend. Now she would find out.**

**Their stretching finished, they saluted each other with the practice swords. Without warning Alex struck, his hand flashing in a complex overhand pass that brought his blade within inches of Alanna's unguarded face. Only a quick backward leap saved her. She circled, watching Alex's chest. With all but the best fighters, muscle movements in the chest often betrayed the direction of the next attack—except Alex was one of the best. Like Duke Gareth, who fought without signals, Alex moved without warning. He**

**swept his sword up and under; the blow would have ripped Alanna open from abdomen to chest if they had been using real swords. She lunged back once more, but not quickly enough. The tip of Alex's sword sliced up her thigh, tearing her hose and gouging a deep scratch in her leg.**

George frowned, mentally adding Alex to his list of people to keep an eye on.

**"Hey, Alex!" she protested. "Be careful!" The knight did not answer. His dark face was emotionless, his eyes unreadable.**

At this point even Jonathan was tensed. Jon didn't really believe that Alex could do something, but he had thought the same thing about Roger, and look how that had turned out.

**Alanna faded back, then lunged to the side and the front, coming at him in a straightforward strike. Alex met her: their swordhilts locked. Body-to-body, Duke Gareth called it, and it rarely happened. For someone as small as Alanna it meant real trouble. Alex strained, forcing his weight down, trying to make her fall to her knees. Alanna broke away and came back instantly, knocking his blade aside. The flat of her sword struck Alex hard on the cheekbone, and she stepped back, feeling ashamed. It was disgraceful to let her temper get away with her as she just had.**

**"Alex, I'm sorry," she said ruefully, looking at the welt spreading across his dark skin. "Do you—"**

**Alex brought up his sword again, smiling slightly. His dark eyes glittered with something she couldn't name. He whispered, "Guard."**

A troubled frown was on Jonathan's face, and Myles had to keep reminding himself that Alanna was okay, because she was the one reading.

**Alanna was suddenly tired of this game. Determined to end the match one way or another, she lunged in. Alex locked with her again and knocked her to the floor.**

**Alanna rolled. Alex's sword-point struck the floor an inch away from her head, taking a chip out of the hard wood. She glimpsed his face, and what she saw frightened her. His eyes were bright; the smile on his lips was suddenly nasty. She jumped up as he came at her again, but she wasn't quick enough. The flat of his blade smacked against her ribs, making her gasp for air. She swung at his side and connected hard, making him wince with pain.**

They were all tense now, the fearful excitement thickening the air.

**This time she put her sword down. "I want to stop," she told him. "Something's wrong!"**

**She got her sword up just in time as he struck. Their blades met, and sparks flew. Alanna disengaged and got away.**

**Sweat trickled into her eyes; she shook her head to clear them. This was insane! He acted as if he really wanted to kill her; with a dull practice sword death would be **_**very **_**painful.**

**Alex closed in, unstoppable. He brought his sword up and over his head, coming down hard. Alanna dodged aside just in time; the blunt edge struck her collarbone rather than her skull. Bone cracked in her shoulder as she fell to her knees with a cry of pain. Helplessly she watched the sword swing up and down, unable to stop its slicing toward her throat. She closed her eyes. If he hit her in the neck, he would break it, and there was nothing she could do.**

They all leaned forwards, staring at Alanna. Myles was trying to remember when he had stopped the fight.

**"Very interesting, Alex."**

They all let out a collective sigh, and relaxed, leaning back.

**Miraculously, Alex dropped his blade and turned. Myles stood just inside the door, Faithful at his feet.**

**"You've certainly proved you're better than Alan. Of course, you **_**are **_**four years older, and you have several battles to your credit." The older knight's words whipped through the air like a lash. "However, I think you two have played 'Best Warrior' long enough. Or didn't you realize you had injured Alan?"**

Alanna turned to Myles, gratitude showing in her face. "I never thanked you for that, did I? Well, thank you Myles" she said sincerely.

Myles lips turned up, but he shook his head. "It was Faithful" he said, gesturing to the cat.

"And you, too, Faithful" she said, stroking his soft fur. He purred in contentment, seeing no need to reply.

**Alex turned to Alanna. The nasty smile was replaced by concern. "Alan, I didn't—here, let me help you up—"**

**"Don't touch me!" Alanna cried as he reached for her. She quickly added, "Please, Alex—it's my collarbone. I think it's broken."**

**Alex knelt beside her, his face tense. "Alan, I'll never forgive myself—"**

**She smiled tightly, beginning to feel sick. "It's all right. We just got a little carried away. With my Gift I'll be fine in a couple of days."**

**Alex looked at Myles. "Sir Myles, I didn't—"**

**"The Provost is looking for you," Myles replied, his sharp eyes never leaving Alex's face. "I believe he has a border patrol ready. It must have been hard on you, cooped up this winter while everyone else got**

**duties."**

**Alex stood. "If there's anything I can do—"**

They all, excluding Alanna, Myles, and George, frowned. They had been convinced that Alex was trying to kill Alanna before, but now it didn't seem like it.

**Alanna nodded, sweat standing out on her forehead. "I'll let you know right away."**

**Alex hurried out, and Myles crossed to Alanna. "Just lie still," he told her. "I'll get a healer—and some servants. We'll have to carry you out, I'm afraid."**

**"What brought you here?" Alanna whispered. "No one knew..."**

**Myles nodded to the cat bumping Alanna's good hand. "Faithful brought me. He was very forceful! I'm glad I listened. Alan, Alex was trying to kill you."**

**Alanna shook her head, the effort bringing on a wave of nausea. "He's been my friend for years."**

_**He didn't look so very friendly when we walked in**_**, Faithful told her.**

**Alanna grimaced. "I don't want to hear any more about it." But in her mind a voice was saying, **_**He hasn't been a close friend in years—not since he became Duke Roger's squire**_**.**

Jon frowned. Roger again. He vowed to himself that once these books were finished, the first thing he would do was expose him for the traitor he was.

**She sighed and put the**__**thought away to go over later, when her head wasn't spinning. Until she had proof she had to keep her**__**suspicions to herself.**

"That's the end of the chapter" Alanna announced, looking around for someone else to read. She passed the book to Myles, thinking he was the least likely to be affected by whatever was in the next chapter.


	5. A Cry of War

**Chapter 4 **Myles read

**A Cry of War**

They all frowned at the title.

**THE APRIL rains poured down outside the Dancing Dove as Alanna examined the scrap of dirty paper George had given her, wishing it would go away. "There's no chance of a mistake?" she asked her friend.**

**"None," the thief replied. "I've received the same reports from the castles where the troops are hid and from the Rogue in Tusaine's capital. Duke Hilam, King Ain's brother, sees himself as a conqueror. He's mobilized all their armies, and the spearhead points right at the Drell River. With the mountain passes open..." He shrugged. "I give it two more weeks before they're locked onto the river's right bank. The fort there won't hold out much more than a week once Duke Hilam attacks."**

**Alanna looked at the tiny map. "What a stupid place to fight a war," she whispered. "It's enclosed by mountains. Neither side will have room to turn. The mountains will slow down reinforcements, supplies. And we're going to be doing a lot of fighting in the river." She folded the map up and stuck it in her shirt. "Thanks, George."**

**"I just wish I had good news." The thief's fingers touched her chin gently, making her look up. Alanna blushed.**

Jon frowned, resisting the urge to glare at the thief.

**He hadn't kissed her since Jon's birthday almost a year ago; but he let her know—with little touches, with softness in his eyes when he looked at her—that he was stalking her. Jonathan looked at Delia in much the same way. That Alanna got such attention from George terrified her.**

Myles stopped to say she shouldn't be frightened of love, but thought better of it. She was distraught at the moment, although she hid it well.

Jon sighed painfully at the realization that while George had been stalking Alanna, _he_ had been chasing after Delia.

**"I have to leave," she said, gathering up her cloak.**

**"All right, then." He opened the door for her. "Let me know what's done."**

**Alanna couldn't help but grin. "Don't be silly. You'll probably know before me." She hurried out into the rainy night.**

**She found Myles of Olau in his chambers, translating some ancient document. Faithful was curled up before the knight's fire, having told Alanna he preferred napping before a warm hearth to trotting to the City in the rain. He greeted Alanna now by leaping onto her shoulder.**

Raoul frowned and cocked his head to the side. "Myles?" he asked, confused.

**The moment Myles saw her face he put his translating aside. "What's wrong?"**

**Alanna pulled the folded map from beneath her shirt, watching Myles's face as she opened it. "You have some friends in the City," she replied softly. "A young burglar named Marek. An old man who forges called Scholar." She smiled. "They say you're a good drinking companion. **_**I **_**could've told them that."**

"I didn't think you could surprise me anymore, but after that you proved me wrong" Myles chuckled.

**Myles opened his mouth to speak, but Alanna shook her head. "I'm not asking you to admit anything. I'm telling you **_**I **_**know Marek and Scholar and their friends. I'm friends with the man who rules them."**

**"The Rogue himself?" Myles whispered. "How?"**

Myles smiled softly. "You almost gave me a heart attack then" he commented wryly.

Alanna grinned at him.

**"It's too long a story, but I've known him and the others for years. Last summer I told George—the Rogue—that we were having trouble getting good information from Tusaine. He offered to help."**

**Alanna handed the map to her friend. "He gave me this today. The little red arrows are Tusaine legions—"**

**Myles counted them. "Twenty." He whistled. "At one hundred men per legion—two thousand foot soldiers."**

**"The blue arrows are units, ten armed knights each."**

**"One hundred and fifty in all." Myles looked at the map, rubbing his forehead wearily. "They're quartered in these castles and towns?"**

**Alanna nodded. "And look what they're circled around."**

**"The Drell River Valley." Myles looked at Alanna. "How much do you trust the Rogue?"**

**"I trust him with my life. I trust him with Jon's life."**

Jon frowned slightly. We he trust George with his life? He sighed internally, knowing the answer was yes. But still, every time he thought about him and Alanna together he felt jealous—more jealous even than the days when he was first discovering his feelings for Alanna, and he knew that then he had been very irrational.

**Myles rose. "Duke Gareth and the King must see this immediately. I'll be certain your name and that of your source don't come into the discussion."**

**"One more thing, Myles. George says the mountain passes from Tusaine into the Drell Valley are open."**

**"Then we've very little time, and we're not prepared." Myles shook his shaggy head. "Gareth and I tried to convince Roald that Hilam would do this. If we were dealing only with King Ain, there'd be no trouble. He just wants to be left in his pleasure gardens with his wives. But Hilam—"**

**"Has notions?" Alanna suggested.**

**MYLES' information had an immediate effect on the palace. Every high-ranking nobleman was summoned to the War Chamber to confer all the next day and late into the night. Messengers and carrier pigeons went out from the castle in droves as the halls buzzed with gossip. Alanna could only wait.**

George chuckled for a moment, and Alanna looked at him curiously, forgetting that she was supposed to be mad at him. "I wonder what they'd think if they knew th' Rogue was the one providin' the information" he said.

**Jonathan was included in the discussions, but his squire was not.**

**She was reading in her rooms late the next night when the Prince returned at last. He shook his head when she gestured toward a chair. "I'm for bed," he said. "I just wanted you to know it's war. Father's sent out the Call to Muster. The initial force—that's us—rides in five days."**

**Alanna's heart drummed uncomfortably. Like it or not, she would be in her first battle before she turned sixteen. "Who's commanding?" she asked.**

**"Uncle Gareth," was the reply. "Get your sleep. You'll need it."**

**AFTER several days of gathering arms and supplies and outfitting men from nearby towns and villages, the initial force was ready. Three days after the Call to Muster went out, the force assembled in military formation on the wide grass-covered hill between the palace and the Temple District, awaiting review by the King and Duke Gareth. Alanna, stationed just behind Jonathan, surveyed the ranks of men when Duke Gareth wasn't looking. **_**We've done pretty well for not being prepared**_**, she was thinking with pride,**

**when a horse's whinny split the spring air.**

**Duke Gareth's chestnut, a big, good-natured animal, was pawing the air and rolling his eyes as he screamed. The puzzled Duke was fighting to get the gelding under control when his saddle slipped to the side. Gareth of Naxen fell heavily, dangerously close to his horse's thrashing hooves.**

Gary tensed, wondering again what caused his father's horse to act that way.

**"Hold your formation!" Jonathan roared as a dozen men started forward. King Roald already had the chestnut's reins in his hand, and his servants were at the fallen man's side. Jon planted himself solidly in front of Gary, who was going to ride to his father anyway. "I **_**said**_**, hold formation!"**

**The big knight glared at his cousin in helpless fury; for a second Alanna was afraid he might hit Jon. The Prince ignored the threat, adding softly, "What can you do for him that isn't already being done? We're an army, Sir Gareth; let's try and act like one!"**

**For a moment the tension between them held. Then Duke Gareth's son nodded grimly and returned to his place in the ranks of knights.**

**Duke Baird, chief of the palace healers, was already beside Gary's father. Duke Gareth's face was white, and he was biting his lip in obvious pain. Alanna let her hands tighten on her reins until Moonlight fidgeted nervously. She could see the strange angle of Duke Gareth's left leg. When she heard shortly afterward that the Duke's leg was broken in three places and that the King would be appointing a new commander-in-chief, her feeling of doom grew. It was all too neat; so neat that she decided to miss the announcement of the new commander and pay a visit to the stables.**

Raoul frowned grimly and Gary's fists were clenched by his sides.

**Handing Moonlight an apple, she whistled a brief tune. There was a noise in the hayloft, and her old friend Stefan climbed down the ladder, carrying a blanket.**

**"Thought ye'd be by," the hostler grunted. "Ye've a real nose fer trouble, ain't ye?"**

George laughed. "That you do, lass" he chuckled.

"I don't _look_ for trouble: it finds me!" Alanna retorted, once again forgetting that she wasn't supposed to be talking to him. She sighed to herself—it was so easy to forget herself when she was talking to George.

**Alanna grinned stiffly at George's man. "What makes you think I didn't come to cosset my horse?"**

**"Then why whistle me up?" the potbellied hostler wanted to know. "Except to chat, which ye do now an' then. Except now ye're wonderin' how Duke Gareth's beast, what's gentler even than yer own, happened t' throw his Grace this mornin'."**

**"Well, yes," Alanna admitted.**

**Stefan opened the folded blanket. "Mayhap I'm wrong. An' then again, mayhap this's why." He showed her a large prickly burr stuck firmly in the blanket's weave. Alanna worked it loose with difficulty.**

Gary frowned, thinking back. It had never occurred to him that it might be sabotage.

**"They's a cruel scratch in th' poor beast's back where it was," Stefan went on. "An' who cinched his Grace's saddle so loose? They be so many new folk here for th' army, I don't see all as I should."**

**"Then none of the regular hostlers saddled Duke Gareth's horse?"**

**Stefan shook his head. "'Twas a newcomer. An' mayhap he was that afeared for his life when Duke Gareth was throwed, an' mayhap not. He's gone."**

Gary's eyes narrowed. Roger. Myles watched him with a sigh, thinking that now there were four, maybe five people out for the Duke's blood, and most of them hot-headed and foolish when angry.

**Alanna mulled this over, handing the blanket back to Stefan. "Thanks for keeping this for me," she said finally.**

**The hostler shrugged. "I knew ye'd be askin'," he said frankly. "Best be careful, though. Us of th' Rogue knows what happens to them as asks too many questions. By the bye—have ye heard who leads in Duke Gareth's place?"**

**Alanna shook her head.**

**"His Grace, th' Duke of Conte." Stefan chewed on a straw, his pale blue eyes fixed on Alanna.**

**"Interestin', havin' a sorcerer-general, eh?"**

**"Very," Alanna said dryly, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach. She turned to go.**

Raoul frowned. "What I don't understand is why you didn't tell anyone" he said, shaking his head.

Alanna frowned. "Because all I had was a burr in a saddle and the testimony of an old hostler. No one would believe me" she said.

**"Squire Alan," Stefan added, "ye might be lookin' in th' Lesser Library when ye go back. Ye've got a visitor."**

**Alanna hurried into the palace, the burr pricking her hand. She was surprised to find the Lesser Library occupied by a hooded monk. Getting the news from Stefan, she had expected to find someone very different.**

**"Excuse me," she began.**

**The "monk" drew back his hood and held his fingers to his lips, grinning mischievously. With an exasperated noise Alanna slammed the door and locked it behind her.**

George chuckled.

**"Are you out of your mind?" she asked George in a harsh whisper. "Some of my Lord Provost's men **_**do **_**know what you look like!"**

**"Upset for my safety?" the thief chuckled. "I'm touched."**

**"You're touched in the head," Alanna snapped. "Anyway, since you're here, why **_**are **_**you here?"**

**"I thought you mightn't get the chance to come down to the city before you rode out, and I wanted a word with you. But **_**you **_**were wanting to ask **_**me **_**somethin'."**

**Alanna showed him the burr. "Stefan found this in Duke Gareth's saddle blanket. He says a new man saddled the Duke's horse, then vanished."**

**"And you suspect foul play," George prodded.**

**"Of course I do. But it just doesn't make sense. Why should Tusaine go to the trouble of stopping Duke Gareth from leading the army? That won't keep us from marching the day after tomorrow."**

Myles smiled. "You knew that wasn't it" he said.

**George shook his head. "You're thinkin' like a warrior. Think like a plotter. There might be reasons closer to home as to why Duke Gareth fell from his beast."**

**"Closer to home?" Alanna asked.**

**"Who benefits?" George wanted to know. "And stop thinkin' of fightin': **_**start **_**thinkin' of power. Who gains the most power from his Grace's 'accident'?"**

**Alanna, about to retort that no one gained, remembered the man King Roald had appointed to Duke Gareth's place. Suddenly she swayed, feeling ill.**

**"Not a commander you'll be trustin' in the field, is he?" the thief asked softly.**

**Alanna was trembling. "I have to think about this."**

**George nodded. "Think on it all you may please," he said. "And watch where he places Jonathan and those loyal to Jonathan." He smoothed a hand over her coppery hair. "Would that I didn't have to stay here and keep my own in line. I mislike sendin' you there with no one to help, but there's nothin' for it. I'd be a dead Rogue if I turned my back on my folk for as long as you'll be gone. A week or two, maybe. But not a month and more."**

Alanna resisted the urge to smile at him, sternly reminding herself that she was supposed to be mad at the both of them.

**Alanna smiled at him, wishing he **_**could **_**go with her. Things were always clearer when George was around.**

_And I wonder why_ Faithful said dryly. Alanna shot a dirty look at her cat.

**"I'll be all right," she said with false assurance. "Faithful will be with me, and if things get bad I'll go to Myles. He's smart enough for three of us."**

**George smiled down at her, his hazel eyes still worried. "That he is. 'Twill have to do. Watch for more accidents."**

**"I don't think he wants to **_**hurt **_**me," Alanna demurred. "Just learn my secret."**

**"I believe he wants you out of the way before he goes further with his plans."**

**Alanna had to laugh. "What threat could **_**I **_**possibly be to **_**him**_**? No, I'm not as suspicious as you are, George. It must come from your line of work."**

**Sensing she wanted to change the subject, George shrugged. "Mayhap when Jon is king I'll be givin' up my work."**

Jonathan frowned, wondering where this was going.

**Alanna stared at him. "You're joking, surely." The tall thief sank into a chair, watching her intently. "I'm thinkin' of turnin' respectable and takin' me a wife."**

**Alanna gave an ungentlemanly snort. "I like that!"**

**He never looked away from her. "Things look different as a man gets older."**

**Alanna sat on a table, swinging her feet. "I'm just having trouble seeing you turn decent citizen. Who will you give your collection of ears to? And what trade will you take up? Jewel-selling? Returning what you stole, for a fee, of course?"**

A smile twitched at Gary's lips. "You really are naïve when it comes to things like that, aren't you?" he asked, amused. Alanna blushed at slapped him on the side of the head, then quickly motioned at an amused Myles to continue reading.

**"I'm in no hurry. King Roald is a young man still. You see," he went on, "I'm waitin' for my chosen bride to grow up. She couldn't be some citizen's daughter, could she? She must be a free soul who knows my past, who doesn't care for what's proper and what's not. Someone who wouldn't scream when she opened my treasure chest and found the collection you mentioned."**

**Alanna wiped sweating palms on her tunic. She had a feeling she knew what he was leading up to, and she wished he would stop. "Good luck, George. I don't think a woman like that exists."**

**George stood. Gripping her shoulders, he pulled her off the table. "I've already found her, and you know it well."**

Jon's face was withdrawn. He knew what was coming and he hated how he couldn't stop it, and he hated even more that little voice inside of him that told him that Alanna might be happier with the Rogue.

**Alanna glared up into his face. "You think highly of yourself!" she snapped. "I'm the daughter of a noble —"**

_That's an excuse, and a bad one at that_ Faithful yowled. Alanna didn't respond, knowing that it was true.

**He laughed softly. "Does that truly stand between us, Alanna? If you loved, would you care about birth or wealth?"**

**"Like must wed like," Alanna whispered. She wanted to run, hard and fast, and she couldn't. If he was no sorcerer, what was this spell he was weaving around her?**

George raised a brow. "It's not a spell, lass" he said. Alanna's blush grew and she looked away from him.

**"There are more important things than birth. What good will a well-born husband be when you take up your shield?"**

**"No husband at all will do me the most good. I don't plan to marry, and I certainly don't plan to fall in love."**

Raoul laughed. "Ah, young love" he teased.

**"So you say now. I'm a patient man, lass. If need be, I'll wait years. And I'll not speak of this to you again. I only wanted you to know I'm yours to command." He grinned.**

**Alanna tried to push away. Her heart was thumping rapidly and she felt giddy. She couldn't let this go any further. "We can go on being friends like before?"**

**"Friends, and good ones, I trust. Confess it, lass, you'd miss me sorely, were I not about."**

**Alanna made the mistake of looking up into his laughing eyes. That was the problem, right there: she was not nearly ready for what she saw in his face. She looked down, afraid. "I—I won't let it ruin our friendship, George," she whispered.**

**"And I won't speak of it again till you ask it. Look at me, Alanna."**

Alanna frowned, realizing that he said 'till', not 'if'.

**Alanna looked up. George kissed her, pulling her close. His mouth was warm and comforting. Alanna had not forgotten the last time, and she had discovered that she liked his kisses. Relaxing, she let her friend hold her tightly.**

Jon stiffened, loathing that at that moment he knew deep down that Alanna would be happier with George.

**George pushed her away. Two spots of color burned in his cheeks. "This goes too far," he rasped. "I only—I only wanted you to know how I feel, before you go marchin' off to some battlefield."**

**Alanna blushed. "You pick a funny way to say goodbye, George."**

**He lifted a quizzical eyebrow. "Do I? Sweethearts all over the realm say goodbye in just this fashion."**

**He kissed her once more, firmly, then went to the door, pulling up his hood.**

**"George?" she called softly as he released the lock. "I'll be back—and we're still friends."**

**He nodded and left, leaving her with far more than a loose saddle and a burr to think about.**

Myles paused for a moment, thinking to himself that if this chapter contained any more moments like that then he would hand it over to someone else. He quickly scanned the rest of the chapter, relieved when he saw it was almost over.

**THE next day Duke Roger called a meeting of his commanders. This time Alanna was present. She was relieved to learn that Gary and Raoul would be among the knights in Jonathan's personal unit, and still more relieved to know that Alex and Geoffrey would be with Roger at the fort. She and Alex were friendly once more, but she had never forgotten their "duel."**

**She did not feel so easy when she saw where Duke Roger planned to position Jonathan's command.**

**The Duke stood before a large detailed map of the Drell Valley. In the center, where the fields lining the river were the widest, blue crosses clustered along the right bank indicated the Tusaine troop camp.**

**"As you can see," Roger told them, pointing to the crosses, "the enemy is in place across the river from Fort Drell." Roger indicated the square on the left bank that represented the fort. "The bulk of our army will be stationed here, around and within the Fort. Lord Imrah of Legann's command will be**

**concentrated above the fort, to the bend of the river below the Drell Falls. Below the fort Earl Hamrath of King's Reach will hold the bank down to the rapids at the end of the valley. Since the cliffs and the rapids are impassable at this time of year, we anticipate little trouble for Hamrath's men.**

**"At the falls themselves"—Roger's finger moved north once more, picking out the upper end of the valley—"we have an interesting situation. The river here is broad and shallow, although the current is quite strong. A determined enemy **_**could **_**cross, although there is no room on the right bank for a proper camp because of the cliffs. Raiders would have to escape the notice of every lookout above the fort; but, with a foggy night and cunning, there **_**is **_**a danger. I have decided to place Prince Jonathan and his knights just below the falls. Imrah of Legann is within call if trouble arises, and for footsoldiers I am sending the present garrison of Fort Drell. They are a little battle-worn, but they are brave men. Of course we should see any enemy movement well in advance of an attempt to cross, so I feel this gives**

**my young cousin an excellent command post without placing him in undue danger."**

**Alanna, standing behind Jon's chair, could feel the Prince stiffening with anger. She shot a glance at the King; Roald was nodding approval. Duke Gareth had planned to keep Jon with him at the fort so the Prince could witness first-hand how a war was waged, but Roger obviously did not feel this was necessary. The Duke of Conte went on: "Since this **_**is **_**my cousin's first command, Sir Myles will be his advisor. It is our hope, my uncle's and mine, that the Prince will listen well to a man of such wisdom."**

**"And very little battle experience," Alanna heard Myles mutter into his beard.**

**"We have but one thing to add," the King said, rising. "Until we have fully thought through the moral issues of our holding the right bank of the Drell, which was Tusaine's until our honored father's time, you have our royal command to defend the **_**left bank **_**of the river only. **_**You may not cross**_**, in pursuit or in seeking active battle."**

**The commanders stirred and murmured. Not cross the river? Not drive the Tusaine back to their own border? The King's voice flicked out like a lash. "We fight for the left bank only. See to it."**

**They all rose and bowed as the King left the room. Once the door was closed, Hamrath of King's Reach sighed. "Well, rest up, lads. It's going to be a long summer." He looked at Duke Roger. "Your Grace?"**

**"That is all," Roger told them. "We ride at the hour past dawn tomorrow."**

No one said anything throughout the part about the war. Most of their minds were on the conflict between the three friends, each trying to think of a way to help resolve it without a lot of drama.

**THEY rode east for twelve long days. When they finally reached the pass descending into the Drell River Valley, Jon drew up Darkness, letting the long line of troops pass by. "Look, Alan."**

**Rising up below them was Fort Drell. Across the river swarmed thousands of men in Tusaine uniform, occupying their main camp. Alanna followed Jonathan's pointing finger upriver until she could see a glint of white and silver through the trees.**

**"The Drell River Falls," Jonathan told her. "Our new home."**

**Faithful, sitting in a leather cup fixed to Moonlight's saddle horn, yowled that he had preferred their **_**old**_** home. Alanna, stroking the dusty cat, had to agree. She had bad feelings about this "new home," very bad feelings indeed.**

"That's it" Myles said, holding out the book for someone else to read. After a moment of reluctance, Raoul took it, thinking that it would be better than Alanna or Jon reading it.


	6. By the River Drell

**Chapter 5 **Raoul read

**By the River Drell**

**THE MEN who had defended Fort Drell until the arrival of the King's forces were camped below the Drell Falls, waiting for Prince Jonathan. The fact that they were veteran soldiers showed in the neatness of the camp and in the prepared look of the men. Alanna felt better when she saw them: she had a feeling these grim-faced commoners would fight well. They had spared her the work of putting up tents for Jonathan and Myles, which she appreciated. One of the soldiers, Aram, told her he was to look after**

**the horses. All Alanna had to do was lay out Jonathan's and Myles's things, as she would be looking after both of her friends on this campaign.**

**When noon came, Alanna was starving. She could ride down to the fort to eat with Jon, Myles and the other knights gathered there for war councils, but she was sure she would die of hunger before she got that far. Leaving Faithful to nap on her cot, she searched the camp until she found the mess tent. The quest was easy: she followed her nose.**

**After filling her plate with beans and meat, Alanna sat at one of the long tables. The place on her right was soon occupied by a large foot soldier. His muscles bulged under his sturdy clothing, filling Alanna with envy, and his tanned and weathered face was framed by a thick red beard. The others greeted him eagerly, and the giant answered in a deep, rumbling voice. Alanna applied herself to her meal and listened to every word.**

Alanna grew grim at the mention of her friend.

**"What news of the enemy, Thor?" one man asked.**

**"No news," the giant boomed. "They're sittin' as quiet as rabbits when the hunter's by. Perhaps they'll have heard of our reinforcements."**

**Since only a blind man could have missed the thousand men and knights who had poured into the Tortallan camps that morning, this sally was greeted with roars of laughter.**

**"That'll hold them a bit," a ratty-looking man agreed when the tent had quieted. "An' you know who's in command here at the Falls? His Highness the Prince!"**

**The man called Thor frowned. "And this the Prince's first war command? Else they think the enemy's not planning much up this way—"**

Jonathan frowned at this.

**"Mayhap the Tusaine needed a rest from us," someone joked.**

**Laughing with them, Alanna choked on a bean. She coughed and swore, her eyes watering. A huge hand beating on her back nearly broke her spine.**

**"There, little fella. Somethin' go down the wrong pipe?" Thor asked. Alanna gasped for breath, trying to grin into the giant's bright blue eyes. Thor stared at her. "Will you look," he whispered. "The tyke has purple lamps!"**

**The others crowded around to see. Alanna stared back at them with wide eyes, blushing.**

**"And where might you be from?" Thor wanted to know.**

**Alanna regained her breath. "I came with the new troops this morning."**

**"Aren't you a mite young to be goin' to war?" the ratty-looking man asked.**

**Alanna stiffened proudly. "I'm sixteen next month."**

**"Nay!" he replied with disbelief. "You ain't more'n twelve!"**

**Aram pushed through the crowd and nodded to her. "No, he's near sixteen, well enough. He's the Prince's squire. I'm lookin' after their horses."**

**"How did a wee fella like you get to be the Prince's own squire?" Thor asked as the others muttered among themselves.**

"I wonder what they'd say if they knew you was a girl" George murmured thoughtfully.

**"That 'wee fella,'" someone said coldly, "is one of the best fencers at Court. He beat a full Tusaine knight in a duel last year, all by himself."**

**Alanna felt her hackles rising at the unknown man's tone. Thor looked up, scowling. "So you're back, Jem Tanner. Always full of the news, aren't you?"**

They frowned.

**A young man with a nasty smile sauntered over to their table. Alanna thought he might be good-looking if his eyes weren't so cold. As it was...**

**"Enjoying your association with us common folk, Squire?"**

**She didn't like him. "I **_**was**_**."**

**"Leave th' lad be," someone protested.**

**"I just want to make sure he takes a good report back to his masters. What were you talking about? How much you liked being left to hold Fort Drell until the enemy was so entrenched that it'll take a thousand armies to dig them out? Your opinion of the King's tactics? The King's personal habits, perhaps?"**

With every word Alanna's fists clenched tighter. She hated being accused of anything dishonourable, and spying for the King was one of the worst she could think of.

**Alanna stood, her face white with anger. "I spy for no one, you remember that, **_**Jem Tanner**_**," she snapped. "And keep a civil tongue in your head!"**

**The man laughed. "Big words, little fellow!"**

**A large hand weighed Alanna down. "Softly, lad," Thor told her. He turned to Jem. "You're right quick to pick fights with stranger-lads who're better raised than you. When will you be so quick to pick a fight with **_**me**_**?"**

**Jem sneered. "I was doing you a favor, warning you of the royal spy in your midst, my stupid friends."**

**He left the tent.**

"Good riddance" Gary muttered.

**Alanna drew deep breaths, fighting down her temper. The men reassured her that Jem was mean, that his words meant nothing. Only Thor was silent.**

**"**_**Are **_**you spyin' for his Highness?" the big man wanted to know.**

Raoul chuckled. "Wrong thing to say, Thor" he said.

**Alanna grabbed her plate. "I **_**was **_**eating my lunch! I guess I'll do that somewhere else, from now on!"**

Gary grinned and chuckled. "I'm surprised you left it at that" he commented. Alanna smiled a little sadly, thinking about how Thor died.

**Thor grinned and pulled her back into her seat. "Steady there, Squire. Can you blame us for wantin' to know? Spare me a noble's pride! Give us the news from the capital instead."**

**THE routine at the falls camp was simple. Alanna looked after Jon and Myles in the morning, making sure their tents were clean and their belongings neat. She helped Aram groom the horses, taking Moonlight out for a morning ride. She ate her meals with the men; it always seemed like too much trouble to ride to the fort and join the knights. (If she realized she was avoiding Duke Roger, she mentioned it to no one.) In the afternoon she exercised, learning tricks of spear and axe fighting from Big Thor and his friends. She could hold her own among them when it came to knife fighting, and she could teach them a thing or two about the use of a sword. All things considered, she felt this was a fair exchange. Often Myles returned in the afternoon. She had history lessons from him then, something she had always enjoyed. As she got older, Myles's practical way of looking at things made more and more sense.**

**After the evening meal, her friends who were knights rode on patrols, and Myles and Jonathan returned to the fort to discuss tactics with Roger. Alanna remained in camp with her new friends. With Big Thor as her guide, she learned many interesting things during those long, fire-lit evenings: how to play dice without losing every copper she had; songs that would make the hardiest palace stableman turn pale; even when to keep quiet and listen. Wherever Alanna turned, day or night, Big Thor was looking after**

**her. It was Thor who kept her from losing her temper when Jem Tanner sharpened his tongue on her, something that young man often did. Thor showed her crafty ways to handle the big weapons: the spear and the axe. On nights when the large man had riverbank guard duty, he told her stories about his days as a blacksmith in the southern hills, then as a soldier for the King.**

As Raoul continued to read, Alanna's smile grew sadder and sadder, until her eyes were suspiciously wet. "Please, Black God, let him have a peaceful rest" she said quietly, sending out a prayer.

Gary gripped her hand comfortingly, and Jon wished that he could be comforting her instead.

**In the two weeks after the new troops came to the valley, a number of skirmishes were fought up and down the river. There were never any direct attacks on the fort, but Hamrath and Imrah both saw daylight action. Alanna, kept at Jonathan's camp, did not fight, but the Prince did: once when he was visiting Earl Hamrath, once when he was inspecting Lord Imrah's men. Alanna always knew when there was fighting downriver, but she never could have joined her knight-master in time. Besides, good**

**soldiers didn't leave their posts to fight somewhere else; the enemy could attack the undefended camp.**

**Alanna could only wait and chew her nails, wondering if any of them—Jon, Raoul, Gary, or Myles—would come back.**

**Finally one morning she went to Duke Baird. The healers' tents lay in a broad white swath behind the fort, touched by every path that led along the river. Baird himself was taking a moment's rest when Alanna arrived. The latest fight was over, and the beds were filled with wounded and dying men.**

**"I'm useless upriver," Alanna told the Chief Healer flatly. "There's only Jon's or Myles's armor to clean, and I can't clean it while they're wearing it. If I don't do something, I'll scream."**

**The Duke looked at her. "You like to be busy, don't you, Squire Alan?"**

**"I don't like to waste my time. Is that the same thing?"**

**Duke Baird picked up a white robe and tossed it to her. "Come. I certainly won't turn you away."**

**Alanna followed the Duke from bed to bed, doing what he told her to do. If she had ever had a good opinion of war, it vanished by afternoon. Men died as she watched, and they didn't care about what they had fought for. They only cared about pain and the Dark God's arrival. Alanna could only help a little.**

They all grew grim at this.

**She didn't notice how much time had passed until the torches were lit. The daylight was nearly gone, and she was starting to tire. Each time she used her healing Gift, she exhausted herself a little more; but she couldn't stop, not while men were suffering.**

Raoul gripped her arm comfortingly, not sure what else to do. She gave him a small smile, but her heart wasn't in it. She was remembering all the men she'd seen die that day, and all the men she'd helped ease the passing of.

**Prince Jonathan found her bandaging a man's arm. "A fellow called Big Thor told me you were here. What are you doing?"**

**It took her a moment to realize someone was talking to her. "What? Oh, Jon." She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, leaving a bloody streak. "I'm keeping busy."**

**"Faithful is going crazy. Myles says Faithful's afraid you'll kill yourself." Jonathan spotted Duke Baird.**

**"Your Grace? How long has Alan been here?"**

**The healer glanced at Alanna. "Great Mithros, lad, I should have sent you away hours ago. You don't have the training to work so long. Prince Jonathan, get him out of here."**

**"Nonsense," Alanna protested, her ears roaring now that her concentration was broken. "I'm as fit as—"**

**She stumbled, and Jon caught her.**

Gary grinned, shaking his head at her. "Always as stubborn as a mule" he teased.

Alanna smiled, glad for the break in the tension.

**"You certainly are," he said drily. Ignoring her protests, he steered her out of the tent. "He's been here all day?" he asked Baird, who followed them.**

**The Duke nodded. "And he's saved more men than I can count. Go to bed, lad," he ordered Alanna.**

**"You've done more than your share here. The worst is over."**

**Alanna was still arguing as Jon mounted Darkness and swung her up before him. "My, you're a quarrelsome little fellow," he murmured in her ear as they set off. "You're dead on your feet. Why didn't you stop?"**

**Alanna leaned back against her Prince, feeling very tired. Darkness, ignoring the double burden, picked his way along the river path. "They needed help," she rasped.**

"And you had to help them" Myles said. Alanna looked at him, wondering what he meant by that. "You're a good lass, Alanna" he said, smiling.

**Jonathan nodded to Imrah's sentries as they bypassed that camp. "Why did you have to go there in the first place?"**

**"I wasn't useful where I was." She sighed gratefully, glad for his strong arm around her. "Hm?" she murmured.**

**"I **_**said**_**, must you always be useful?"**

**"Yes."**

**They rode on silently for a few moments before Jon remarked thoughtfully, "Perhaps **_**I **_**could make myself useful there, too, instead of attending a lot of meetings where Roger makes the decisions and never asks how I feel. Think it's worth a try?"**

**Alanna yawned, half-turning so her head was tucked under Jonathan's chin. "**_**Anything's **_**worth a try."**

**A yowl in the darkness greeted them as Faithful informed Alanna, **_**Healing is all very well, but not if you kill yourself in the process. And do you enjoy snuggling up to Jonathan like a lovesick girl?**_

Alanna blushed and glared at Faithful, who was looking pleased with himself. Gary barked out a laugh at her expense.

**Alanna sat bolt upright. "Now, you listen to me, you prissy animal—" she began.**

Raoul snorted, and Alanna shot a glare at him. George grinned at Faithful. "You'll always keep her in her place, won't you?" he said. Alanna shot a quick glare at him, once again forgetting that she was supposed to be ignoring he existed.

**"Your Highness. You're back late." Jem Tanner, a spear in his hand, stepped out of the woods. "And Squire Alan. Gadding about all day?"**

Most of the occupants of the room frowned and stiffened at the mention of the unpleasant man.

**"You've got guard duty, Jem Tanner?" Alanna snapped, aware that Jonathan was tight with anger. "Then guard."**

**Faithful leaped onto Alanna's lap as they rode on, startling Darkness not a bit. "Who was that?" Jonathan asked quietly.**

**"One of the men from camp. Being nasty is his hobby. You were warning me about him, weren't you, Faithful?"**

_**If you're going to fall in love with the Prince, don't show it**_**, the cat advised. **_**Unless you want the whole camp talking about you both.**_

Raoul snorted. "If only I could say that without getting attacked"

**"I'm not fa—" Alanna stopped, aware that Jonathan was listening intently, one of his arms still around her waist.**

Gary barked out a laugh. "Oh, I like that! You confessing undying love to Jonathan while talking to a cat!" he snorted again.

Alanna glared at him and gave him a sharp slap on the head, which shut him up quickly enough.

**"Are you two **_**talking**_**?" he wanted to know.**

**"Ask Faithful," Alanna said tersely. "I just answer his questions."**

**A soldier came forward to take Darkness as they entered their own camp. M]yles summoned the Prince to his tent, and Alanna was left alone with her thoughts. She kept remembering the men she tried to heal, with their terrible wounds and the glazed look of pain in their eyes. She remembered every cut, every broken bone, until her stomach began to roll. She couldn't make herself think of anything else.**

Raoul's eyes darkened and Gary's fists clenched. Everyone else but George was having memories of the first time they had fought—seriously _fought—_and they had realized that being a knight wasn't all about good deeds and glamour.

**Her body rebelled. She rushed out to the back of the tent, where the little she had eaten that day came up violently. She struggled to be quiet; she wanted no one to witness her shame. Warriors were not supposed to throw up at the sight of blood and dying.**

Myles stared at her. "Well then I don't know a warrior alive" he said.

Alanna stared back, a cross between a smile and a frown on her face. She was glad that they didn't think she was weak, but reading about that day brought up too many memories for her.

**Cool hands soothed her head, steadying her. When she stopped heaving, Jon gave her a dipperful of water. Gratefully she splashed some on her face and rinsed her mouth out.**

**"If Faithful told you, I'll skin him," she whispered hoarsely.**

**"No," Jon replied. "I was coming back, and I heard you."**

**"You must think I'm an awful sissy."**

**There was silence for a moment. Then he replied, "I threw up after my first skirmish."**

**Alanna looked at her friend, startled. "You never."**

**He nodded. "I did. I just didn't have anyone to hold my head for me." He ruffled her hair. "Don't tell the men, will you?"**

**"I won't tell if you won't."**

**"Done." He held open the flap of the tent. "It wouldn't do for them to think we're sissies, would it?"**

**JUST two nights later Alanna went looking for Big Thor. His spear needed replacing, and she had one from a man who had died in the healers' tents. The watch captain told her Thor and Jem Tanner had guard duty on the wooded point of land just below the camp, and Alanna set out to meet them, lugging the too-large spear. It was late; everyone but the sentries was going to bed. The night pressed in as she left the camp behind. She could hear animals in the nearby trees, even Faithful's soft padding as he walked beside her. Suddenly the cat dashed into the trees that screened Alanna from Thor's guard post.**

**Frowning, Alanna followed. She was remembering that Jonathan had objected to this little wood that isolated the point so effectively. The enemy could easily cross here and pick off Jonathan's and Imrah's men if the sentries were unable to give the warning. Things would be easier for everyone if the trees were chopped down. Roger had talked the Prince out of it, saying he didn't want men tired out with woodcutting if the enemy attacked, which they did almost every day. His words were reasonable, and**

**Jon had given in.**

Jon clenched his fists. "I never should have listened to a word he said" he muttered. If he hadn't then maybe Alanna wouldn't have been kidnapped.

**Faithful yowled a warning to Alanna before she left the shelter of the wood. She ducked behind a big oak and peered at the sentry post, listening.**

**Thor was not at his station. Neither was Jem Tanner. Instead three men in dark clothing stood on the point. One was lighting a torch while another fitted an arrow to his bow. Faithful yowled again in fury as he positioned himself between the three and Alanna's hiding place. He hissed evilly, his violet eyes gleaming in the darkness.**

**"Cursed beast!" the bowman whispered as he let his arrow fly. It thudded into the oak's trunk, missing the cat.**

**"Stop it!" the third man ordered. The one with the torch was waving it over his head, signalling to the opposite bank. "Don't make so much noise!"**

**Alanna heard oars splashing in the river; she didn't wait to hear more. Dropping the spear, she quietly made her way free of the wood, Faithful at her heels. Once clear, she ran for all she was worth to the next guard post on the way to Jon's camp.**

**"Sound your horn!" she yelled to the men there as soon as she drew within earshot. She dropped beside them, panting. "Something's happened to Thor and Tanner—the enemy's crossing!"**

**The men sounded the alarm. Other horns in both camps took up the call as Alanna ran on to Jonathan, sending one of the sentries to alert the captains.**

**The Prince was dressing as she arrived. "What's up?" he asked, shrugging into his mail. Alanna told him as she handed over his weapons and his helmet. Myles came in, looking odd in plate armor.**

Myles smiled dryly, running a hand through his beard. "I'm a scholar, not a warrior, but even the most passive of people must go to battle when the time comes"

**"A messenger just got in; Imrah lost two guards as well," he said without formality. "The Tusaine is mounting a major attack between our camps. They're going to split us right down the middle; the men from the Fort may get here too late."**

**"We'll see," Jon said grimly. "Have the men form a half-circle around the point. We'll shove them off our ground, then help Imrah. You go on, Myles. I'm contacting Roger."**

**Alanna hurried outside with Myles to saddle his horse. "What's he doing?" the knight asked as she worked.**

**"Magic." She checked the cinches on Myles's saddle. The horse caught her tightly held excitement, fidgeting under her touch. Alanna gave Myles a hand up. "He'll send to Roger in the fire."**

**"Very handy," Myles approved, gripping the reins. He settled the mask of his helmet over his face and kicked his horse into a gallop. Alanna saddled Darkness, smiling grimly. It seemed even a scholar like Sir Myles became a warrior when it was necessary!**

**Faithful yowled at her feet as she led Jonathan's stallion around to the tent. "No," she said firmly. "You remain here. I won't have you hacked in two by someone. You can go up by the falls and watch for more trouble there; but stay away from the fighting!"**

Faithful looked rebellious at the memory, mewing indignantly.

**Evidently the cat realized she meant it. He trotted away, his tail high. Jonathan stepped from the tent and jumped onto Darkness's back, a shimmering silver ghost on the black horse. "I take it you told Faithful**

**to stay out of the fighting."**

Alanna's familiar made a face that would have been a glare on a human. _She advised me, and I decided to agree_ he said haughtily, ignoring their chuckles.

**Alanna double-checked the cinches of Darkness's saddle. No one would ever fall from a horse **_**she **_**had readied! "He may even obey me, for a change."**

**A strong hand gripped her shoulder, and she looked up into Jonathan's worried face. "I guess I can't tell you the same, can I?" he whispered.**

Alanna frowned, realizing that that was another difference between Jon and George. George might worry and be concerned, but he would never ask her to stand down for something she believed in.

The others looked surprised at Jon's request, but they said nothing. The prince was still too upset from the previous argument.

**"The biggest attack this summer, and I'm supposed to hide in my tent?" she asked, astonished. "And me your squire? Are you out of your mind?"**

**Trumpets were blowing, telling them the enemy was there in force, but Jonathan still hesitated. His sapphire eyes were very bright. "Against **_**one **_**warrior I can't worry about you. You've proved you can handle yourself. But against an **_**army**_**—"**

**She covered his hand with hers. "I have my duty, Highness. And this is **_**my **_**home, too. I'm trained to defend it, and defend it I will."**

**Jonathan sighed, putting on his helmet. "You know where to find me when you're armed." He urged Darkness out.**

**Alanna didn't waste time wondering about this strange new protectiveness in Jon. Instead she hurried to get ready. She had no armor, having refused the plate armor the weaponsmaster in the palace had offered her. (Plate was much too heavy.) Now she pulled on quilt-lined leather breeches and jacket—most foot soldiers wore the same. She was already wearing Lightning and her dagger. She stopped only to grab a shield and a short axe before hurrying outside once more. Moonlight pawed the ground, sensing action.**

**Alanna cooed soothingly to the mare as she rapidly saddled her.**

**"We've got to protect Jonathan and Darkness, don't we?" She swung herself onto Moonlight's back.**

**"Let's go, girl."**

**As one of the last fighters to the point, Alanna could clearly see that the enemy had advanced past the trees, engaging Jon's men in the clearing around the main path. She glimpsed Jonathan's silver and sapphire gleaming in the thick of the battle as Darkness reared to fight as well. Myles was beside the Prince, with Gary and Raoul flanking them both. The enemy would have trouble hurting the Prince or his advisor unless they could get past two very big knights.**

The excitement mounted, despite the previously dour mood.

**The patterns of the battle moved and changed before her eyes beneath the flickering torches, and Alanna clenched her teeth till her jaw hurt. The Tusaine had gotten past the Tortallans at Jonathan's back, coming around the Prince and his friends in a pincers. Shaking her head to clear it, Alanna rose in her saddle and drew Lightning.**

**"To me, men of Fort Drell!" she yelled furiously. "To me!"**

**Her friends swarmed after her, following as she charged into the thick of the fighting. The Tusaines, surprised by the unexpected attack, turned to face the slender, angry youth on the gold-and-white mare.**

**They found themselves attacked by a troop of very tough foot soldiers and forced to give way as the youth urged his companions on. "Alan!" someone yelled. "The knight!" She brought her shield up instantly, just in time to intercept a hard blow from a mace. Her shield buckled a little, then held. Alanna swore as her shield arm went numb and wheeled Moonlight to face her first mounted attacker. The enemy knight was big, and he wore thick plate armor as if it was made of air. It was a struggle for her just to ward off his mace. Gripping Moonlight's reins in her teeth, she guided the well-trained mare with her knees alone, watching for an opening. As the knight lifted both arms to deliver the blow that would shatter her shield and her arm, she saw her chance. Swiftly Alanna slid Lightning into the opening**

**between the knight's arm and chest armor, thrusting deep. With a gasp of surprise, her enemy fell from his horse, dead.**

**Alanna had no time now to stop and think about the first man she had killed. Jon was still in danger. She pressed forward again, the men from her camp behind her. She threw her now-useless shield into the face of an attacking knight, running him through while he was blinded. Another knight rode to engage her, swinging a two-handed sword. Alanna nudged Moonlight to the side. Gripping her axe in her left hand and Lightning in her right, she tried to circle this new attacker.**

**"Tortall!" The cry was loud and fierce over the crash of weapons and men's screams. "Tortall for Trebond!"**

**Alanna's attacker glanced at Jonathan, who was battering his way toward Alanna. Taking a chance, Alanna sent the big sword flying, wounding the knight in the shoulder in the same thrust. She pushed on to Jon's side, placing herself between him and Myles. The men formed a circle around them all, keeping the enemy back.**

**Alanna scanned the area for more trouble. In spite of the men and knights around her prince, she felt real danger was nearby. Something glinted in the trees, catching her eye. An archer stood in a maple, his arrow already on his string. His target was Jonathan!**

The others started, leaning forwards in their seats as if they had been shocked. Only Alanna and Jon had known about the enemy archer—neither Jonathan nor Alanna had told anyone else.

**Alanna yelled and threw herself to one side, knocking Jon half out of his saddle. The arrow glanced off the Prince's shield, and one of the Tortallan archers picked the enemy bowman out of the tree. Alanna pulled herself upright, feeling dizzy and tired. Her left arm—her shield-arm—hurt terribly. Jonathan hauled himself back into his saddle with Myles's help, looking at her with gratitude. "Thanks," he said.**

**"You—"**

**He was interrupted by the sound of blowing horns. Hundreds of fresh men in Tortallan colors poured into the clearing, led by Duke Roger. The new troops pushed the enemy back into the woods and onto the point, leaving Jonathan's people to catch their wind. When the Duke of Conte returned, his neat hair was mussed and a bloody scratch ran down one side of his face. "They took to their boats," he said with a grimace. "We can't follow; remember my uncle's orders."**

"If it weren't for you, we might not have succeeded" Jonathan murmured hesitantly, afraid that she would ignore him.

She paused for a moment, then uttered a quiet word of gratitude, quickly waving George on to continue reading.

**The men began to disperse, to look after the wounded and the dead. Alanna waited where she was, shifting anxiously in her saddle. It was time to look for one man in particular. Her shoulder gave a sharp, agonized pull, and she nearly fainted with pain. Its source was a deep gash down her arm; someone had wounded her without her realizing it.**

They winced at the description, an uneasy frown appearing on Myles's face.

**She needed to bandage the cut soon, but right now it was more important to attend to business. She spotted the watch captain among the healers and wounded and made her way over to him on Moonlight.**

**"Where's Big Thor?" she asked bluntly.**

**The grey-haired man looked up at her. "I'm afraid something happened to him, Squire Alan. I've been searching—" He gestured to the battlefield around them. "There's no body, nothing. Jem Tanner wandered into camp at the start of it all with a lump on his noggin. He says Thor knocked 'im out."**

Raoul frowned, shaking his head. "He must have known that no one would believe him—why bother going back to the camp at all?" he asked no one in particular, and no one in particular answered him.

**Alanna steadied Moonlight, who was fretting at the scent of blood from the wounded. "Jem Tanner accused Big Thor of going over to the enemy?"**

**The captain nodded grimly. "I don't believe him. I know Thor; he's served under me these five years. Thor don't have a treacherous bone in his body. Jem Tanner does."**

**Alanna frowned. "Find Jem Tanner and hold him, on my orders."**

"They should have done that in the first place" Gary growled.

"They couldn't, not without any proof or the okay of someone in command. I'm a little surprised they could even do it with _my_ okay, and that was only because I'm a noble" Alanna explained, feeling the need to defend them.

A crease appeared on his forehead. "Sometimes the laws are more of a hindrance than a help" he muttered.

**The captain bowed. "As ye say, Squire Alan."**

**Alanna glanced at the stand of trees, holding her wounded arm. Thor hadn't been with the enemy, or she would have heard of it by now. What if Thor had been the one betrayed, not Jem? She thought hard. If Thor was dazed or hurt, where would he go? Toward the camp—along the riverbank, perhaps?**

**She urged Moonlight up to the point, where still more wounded and dying men lay on the ground. Thor would be noticeable from size alone. He wasn't there. Carefully she scanned the ground until she saw what she was looking for. Something heavy had been dragged down to the river near the sentry post.**

Alanna flinched, the memory fresh in her mind.

**Guiding Moonlight down the slope to the water's edge, she found a clump of bushes where the heavy thing had come to rest. Moonlight sniffed the dark stain on the earth there and shied away with alarm.**

**Dismounting with difficulty, Alanna picked up some of the stained dirt and smelled it. Lately she had become too familiar with this smell: it was blood.**

**Dizziness made her grab Moonlight's mane, fighting to stand upright. Clenching her teeth, she found the brandy flask in one saddlebag and opened it, taking a large swallow. The harsh mouthful made her**

**cough and sputter, but her head cleared again. She put the flask away, thinking. Thor was hurt, she knew. If this blood was his, he was badly hurt, and she couldn't waste time. Closing her eyes, she reached inside herself for the fire of her Gift. She opened her hand and let the magic flow into her palm, making it glow with a brilliant white-purple light. Opening her eyes, she nodded with grim satisfaction.**

**The light shining from her hand was far brighter than any torch, throwing the scene around her into high relief. The effort made her head spin, but she hung on. There would be plenty of time to collapse after she found Big Thor. Footprints were dark holes in the earth in front of her, leading north along the river to the camp, as she had suspected. With her free hand Alanna tugged on Moonlight's reins, leading the mare forward as she strained to see the prints. Once she stopped to bind up her arm. She was losing a dangerous amount of blood and the use of magic was tiring her more quickly than usual: but she was afraid that if she stopped looking, someone less kind might find Thor and kill him.**

Alanna closed her eyes, mumbling something that only she could make out. "I…I killed him anyway" she whispered, horrible guilt gnawing at her even though she knew there was nothing that could be done.

**When Moonlight halted, Alanna nearly fell. The mare was nuzzling a huge form lying half in and half out of the river.**

**Alanna knelt stiffly by the body. "Thor?" she whispered. The man stirred and moaned. It was a struggle to turn him over using only one hand; her wounded arm was useless for anything but her light. Finally Moonlight helped, pushing with her nose. When they got Thor onto his back, Alanna wished they hadn't.**

Myles looked grim, remembering the state that Thor had been in when they found him and Alanna.

**"Aye." The giant's voice was a whisper. "He blinded me. Have you some brandy?"**

**Alanna opened her flask and carefully put it to his lips. He didn't have the strength to hold it himself.**

**"'Twas Jem Tanner that betrayed us," Thor rasped. "I don't know how. He was nervous from the moment we went on watch. There must've been a signal, and he hit me over the head. When I came around"—he**

**touched a hand to his face—"I was like this, and I could hear the horns blowin'." While Thor talked, Alanna examined him with her Gift, feeling the life slipping away from her friend. Even if his wounds had not been serious, he had lost too much blood to be healed by anyone now.**

**"Can you help me?" Thor whispered. "I'd just like to—go to sleep. I'm that tired."**

Jon frowned, wondering if he could do what she had done. He didn't know the answer, and that troubled him.

**Alanna trembled. Healing was natural for her, but she had never killed a human being with her Gift. She didn't think she could.**

**Thor groped until his hands found her arms. "You're hurt," he murmured, touching her already-soaked bandage. "Nay. Look after your own wounds. I'm close enough now—waitin' for the Dark God a little longer won't matter."**

Alanna rubbed at the moisture that was gathering at her eyes.

**Alanna pressed her good hand to Thor's forehead, her Gift lighting the clearing with a deep violet fire.**

**"Sleep, Thor," she whispered.**

They all fell silent for a moment, Raoul's voice halting as he closed his eyes and bowed his head. They all had a moment of silence for Big Thor, before he continued reading, glancing in a worrisome way at Alanna before he did so.

**She felt him falling away gently, slipping into a long, dark well. Alanna rose. Thor's chest was still, and he was smiling. She smiled back at him shakily, and then the world spun; her knees trembled and gave out.**

_**Great Merciful Mother**_**, she thought with disgust as she fell. **_**I overreached myself**_**.**

**A huge shadow figure was bending over her.**

**"Thor," she sighed, recognizing the Dark God. "You want Thor." Reaching out a hand that was blacker than the night, the God touched Alanna's eyes. She closed them; if this was death, she didn't care anymore.**

George's fists clenched and he had to remind himself that Alanna was sitting right there. She had lived.

"How many times is that now that you've seen the gods?" Gary asked eventually, breaking the long silence that had descended on them.

She smiled weakly at him, then looked back at Raoul so that he could continue reading.

"It's the end of the chapter" he said, looking around for someone to read next. "Here, Jon. You're the only one that hasn't read yet" he tossed the book to the prince, hoping that the chapter wasn't as morbid.

Myles looked out the window, noting the position of the sun. "After the next chapter perhaps we should stop" he said. They all nodded in agreement, and Jon began to read.


	7. Captured!

**Chapter 6 **Jon read

**Captured!**

There was a pause as the meaning of the title sunk in.

**THE SUN was shining when Alanna opened her eyes. Touching her dully aching arm, she found a thick bandage.**

**''I fixed it myself.'' Jonathan was sitting on a camp stool beside her. He put down his book. "I didn't think you wanted Duke Baird to get that close to you, not while you were unconscious. One of the big muscles in your arm was cut, by the way. It'll take a while to heal, even with the Gift. You're having a bad year with muscles and bones."**

Alanna resisted the urge to ask him how he managed to convince Duke Baird to let him heal her. Luckily, either Raoul somehow knew that, or he was just as curious, because the next moment he was asking the question.

Jon shrugged, his eyes straying to Alanna as a small smile played on his lips. "We argued for a couple of minutes before I finally just told him that 'Alan' would have preferred it, and that it was a waste of time arguing about it while he was still wounded"

Raoul raised a brow. "That's it?"

Jon grinned. "Well, I may have taken a leaf out of Alanna's book and recruited Myles"

The old knight smiled.

**Alanna smiled weakly at him. "Thanks. Were you the one who found me?"**

**"Actually, Faithful did. You know, that cat's more intelligent than most people."**

**Faithful yawned. **_**Of course I am**_**. He jumped onto the foot of Alanna's bed, lying down beside her. **_**You've been asleep three days**_**, he added.**

**"Three days!" Alanna gasped. "That's not possible!"**

Faithful wandered back into the room, settling down by Alanna's feet. No one had even noticed that he had left. _Of course it is, when you decide to be foolish_ he mewled.

**"How—the cat **_**told **_**you?" Jonathan shook his head. "Never mind. I don't want to know. Yes, it's been three days. Why did you use your Gift? You were still glowing when we found you."**

**Alanna rubbed her head. "I had to find Thor, and there wasn't any light. And then—" Her throat was suddenly tight, and her eyes burned with tears. "I helped him sleep. The Dark God came." She looked up at Jonathan. "Have they found Jem Tanner?"**

**The Prince shook his head. "He's vanished. Thor was innocent?"**

**Taking time for sips of water, Alanna told her friend what had happened. When she finished, the Prince strode angrily around the tent.**

**"Treachery!" he snapped. "Merciful Mother, we should have guessed!" He sat down, suddenly dejected.**

**"And we can't do anything about it. My father's instructions remain the same. He's even thinking of giving the right bank to Tusaine."**

**"If they're given the right bank, they won't stop till they have the entire valley," Alanna said frankly.**

**Jonathan nodded. "But no one can convince my father of that. He takes being called 'The Peacemaker' very seriously."**

**"He **_**did **_**establish peace after the Old King's conquests," Alanna said fairly.**

**"Yes, but this time he's wrong!" Jonathan growled. He brooded for a few moments before smiling and taking her hand. "Look at me. You're not awake five minutes and I'm burdening you with my problems. Mithros, I'm glad you're all right!"**

**Alanna squeezed his hand. "Thank you for taking care of me, Jon."**

Alanna frowned uneasily, starting to remember what happened next. She glanced at George, who looked a little pained, as if he also knew what was coming.

**He reached over to brush a strand of hair away from her face. Suddenly he was very close. Alanna discovered she was afraid to breathe.**

Gary raised a brow, a wide grin spreading across his face. He knew that in the end, the trouble between Jon, Alanna, and George would be resolved, so why not have his fun in the meantime?

He started chuckling, and in no time he was up to full-throated laughter at it all, even just the situation. Raoul soon joined in, and despite herself a blush started to grow on Alanna's cheeks.

"What's so funny?" she snapped, glaring at them.

He wiped his eyes, still grinning. "Only you could have a Prince and a King after you and _not_ be happy about it"

**Carefully, almost timidly, Jonathan kissed her mouth.**

Alanna snuck a look at Jon. To her surprise, he didn't look smug or triumphant. He looked…happy? No, that wasn't right. He had a smile on his face, but it was decidedly sad, as if he was regretting something.

Alanna shook her head and put it out of her mind, deciding she was imagining things.

_**Someone's coming**_**, Faithful remarked.**

**Myles entered the tent to find a very pale Jonathan picking up a book as his very red squire drank from a water bottle. His hazel eyes flicked from Jon to Alanna, and Alanna wondered once again how much Myles knew, or guessed, about her identity.**

"What did you guess?" Alanna wanted to know.

The corner of Myles's lips twitched upwards. "The truth. I knew that something had to have happened, because there are very few occasions in which Jonathan would pick up a book on mathematics"

**"It's time you came to," Myles remarked, his quiet voice even. "Do you realize you've been asleep for three days?"**

**USING so much of her Gift when she was hurt had undermined Alanna's strength to a degree she couldn't believe possible. Duke Roger ordered her away from any fighting, leaving her to fret every time Jonathan was gone. It wasn't that she thought Raoul's squire Douglass couldn't look after her Prince in battle; she was just convinced he couldn't do it as well as she could. But Duke Roger had taken an interest in her welfare, and Jonathan, Myles and Duke Baird sided with him: she was in no condition to fight. Privately Alanna knew they were right: her arm would ache for months to come, and she continued to have dizzy spells. Just lighting a candle by using her Gift was more than she could manage.**

Myles frowned. "If we had let you, would you have fought? Knowing that you wouldn't be in any condition to do so?" he asked.

Alanna shrugged. "Yes. I have a duty to it" she said, knowing the answer immediately.

Myles shook his head but didn't say any more, thinking ruefully that one day she would push herself too far and no one would be there to save her.

**Her search for something to do led her up and down the river. Finally she returned to the healers' tents; although she couldn't use her Gift, she **_**could **_**hold basins, bandage wounds and undertake countless little tasks during those long June days after her sixteenth birthday. Jonathan often came for her there and stayed, talking to the men and doing some healing of his own.**

**Sometimes the healers shooed her away, particularly if Duke Baird noticed she was tiring. She tried the weapons-smiths then. These gruff men would ignore her except to shove a pair of bellows or an extra set of tongs into her good hand, motioning for her to make herself useful. She mended swords, spears, knives and armor, learning how to put a keen edge on a blade and how to keep a fire at the same heat for an hour or more. She would never be as adept as Coram, who had taught her the basics of the blacksmith's art, but she would always be able to keep her equipment in good working order.**

**She also signed on as a sentry. Jonathan's men had suffered the worst losses in the big Tusaine attack, and they welcomed even one small relief guard.**

Gary stared at her. "Mithros, Alanna! I think you might be doing more work than if you _had_ fought"

Alanna shrugged. "I like to be useful"

He snorted. "You can say that again"

**One evening in late July she and Faithful were standing watch just below the falls. They were alone at the moment. The soldier sharing the watch with them was having trouble with a healing leg, and Alanna had sent him back to camp for a replacement. He had not been gone long when a twig snapped behind them. Alanna spun, leveling her spear at her visitor.**

**Orange light flared against a hand, making Duke Roger's face briefly visible. Faithful pressed against Alanna's ankles, hissing and spitting.**

Jon stiffened, the strange look that had been on his face since the kissing scene vanishing to be replaced with a mixture of rage, concern, and worry.

**"Stop it," Alanna told him, slowly lowering the spear. Faithful obeyed. "Your Grace. Aren't you out late?"**

**"Not really. Sit down, please. I know you still tire easily."**

**Alanna obeyed, sitting on a large rock. Faithful hopped up onto her lap. "I'm honored by Your Grace's concern."**

**"You did a brave thing, tracking down the man Thor and hearing his story. It's a pity you collapsed before you made it back to camp; you might have captured the traitor."**

Myles frowned. Rodger was playing nice—pleasantries and compliments. He knew the moment that he didn't get what he wanted—whatever it was—the act would drop, and then Myles would fear for Alanna's safety.

**Alanna shrugged without taking her eyes off Jonathan's cousin. "Don't think I haven't kicked myself about that, sir, several times."**

**Silence fell between them, stretching out over endless moments. **_**I won't ask why he's here**_**, Alanna told herself grimly. **_**He'll get to it in his own time. He didn't come up here just to be polite.**_

**Suddenly Duke Roger said, "We are not friends, are we, Alan?"**

They all tensed, knowing that this was the moment when the guessing would stop. George swore, knowing that once Rodger knew that Alanna wouldn't be on his side then he would stop giving her the benefit of the doubt and move in for the kill. He had to glance at Alanna frequently to remind himself that she was still alive.

**Alanna tightened her hands on her spear. This was coming to grips with a vengeance! "No, Your Grace, we're not," she replied evenly.**

**Without the light of his Gift it was hard to read the Duke's face. "Might it be possible we are enemies?"**

**Alanna thought about this, and about his reasons for asking. "I don't know," she said finally. ''Perhaps **_**you **_**should tell **_**me**_**."**

**"I could be a very good friend, Alan."**

**Her throat was dry. What kind of game was he playing? Was this a warning—or a threat?**

George shook his head, looking grim. "It's both, and an offer as well"

**"I have no desire to make you my enemy, sir. I'd like to live to a ripe old age and die in my sleep."**

**White teeth flashed in a grin against his shadowed face. "I can sympathize. Such an ending could be yours—if we were friends. **_**Many **_**things could be yours."**

**Alanna shifted her hold on the spear; her fingers were getting numb. "I would have to be assured that my other friends have the same chance, Your Grace," she said boldly. "Frankly, I doubt that's your aim."**

George stared at her, then barked out a harsh laugh. "Only you" he muttered.

**For a long moment he said nothing. Then she saw his broad shoulders lift in a shrug. "I see. Thus, as long as you feel this way, we will be—"**

**"Less than friends," Alanna supplied diplomatically.**

**Roger bowed. "I appreciate your honesty, Alan of Trebond. Not many dare be so open with me."**

**She smiled crookedly. "Not many have insanity in their families, either."**

Raoul stared at her, then started chuckling. "You've just been threatened by one of the most powerful sorcerers in Tortall, and you make a joke?" he asked, half-exasperated, half-admiring.

**This drew a laugh from him. "I see. Well—goo d night to you, Squire Alan."**

**Alanna stood, a little stiff from the dampness of the river. "Your Grace." She watched Roger fade into the shadows. "He has style," she remarked quietly.**

Jon shook his head angrily, hardly able to believe that she was acting so flippantly.

_**Style or not, he's as treacherous as a snake**_**, Faithful warned her.**

He sighed to himself. At least Faithful had some sense.

_It's not hard to have more sense than her_ Faithful meowed idly.

**Alanna touched the ember-stone under her shirt. "I know," she replied softly. "I just wish I had something to crush him with."**

_**Give him time**_**, the cat meowed. **_**He'll give you plenty to crush him with.**_

**Alanna frowned. "The problem is that by the time he does he'll probably be invincible."**

_**True**_**. Faithful yawned. **_**Fog's rising**_**. And with that he curled up and went to sleep.**

Faithful hissed, his fur bristling.

**Alanna watched the ghostly white tendrils rising from the river's surface, feeling very tired. "Just what I need," she yawned disgustedly. "I didn't think there'd be any fog tonight."**

**The mist rose quickly, smothering all the night noises. Everything sounded different: the river, the distant camp, even the nearby waterfall. Alanna's nose itched till her eyes watered. She felt like lying down right there and taking a nap. That would never do: she was on sentry duty! Where was the other guard? One should have come by now. Nervous, Alanna made her way to the river and splashed her face with cold water. That helped a little. Returning to her post, she discovered that she couldn't waken Faithful. Something was very wrong; the itching of her nose meant sorcery, and Faithful seemed to be its victim. Should she go for help?**

Jon's fists clenched. "Of course you should!" he exclaimed. Alanna ignored him, trying to smother the urge to stand up and shout back at him.

**The rock striking her head settled the question. Alanna dropped, and the men who had crept up behind her in the fog chuckled grimly.**

George narrowed his eyes and scowled.

**"Hurry!" Jem Tanner hissed as they tied her hands and feet. "We won't be safe from the spell much longer!"**

**"What about the cat?" one of the men yawned.**

**"He said to—"**

**"Forget the cat!" Jem snapped. "Just get the boy into the boat with the others!"**

Faithful hissed, his fur going up on end. He started mewing angrily, but Alanna couldn't understand it. It sounded like he was cursing.

**A SENTRY on the second watch ran into camp, Faithful limp in his hands. "Squire Alan's been kidnapped!" he told the Prince, gasping. "The cat—he's alive, but I can't wake him! And the other guard who went out with the squire—he's lyin' in his tent. I can't wake him either!"**

**Jonathan took Faithful, reaching with his Gift into the sleeping animal. Without warning his eyes rolled up and he collapsed. Faithful stirred and went back to sleep.**

**The sentry brought Myles on the run. The knight wasted no time: he seized the water bucket and threw the contents over both Jon and Faithful. The cat only turned over and sighed. The Prince stirred, gazing sleepily up at his friend. "Sorcery," he whispered, sitting up. "Sorcery meant to make the cat sleep..." He grabbed the sentry, his face white. "Alan was **_**kidnapped**_**? You're sure?"**

**The watch captain ran into the tent. "Your Highness, Sir Myles—we're missing three men along the river—two foot soldiers, Micah and Keel, and—"**

**"Alan of Trebond," Myles said grimly.**

**"Aye, sir. This blasted fog's so thick you can barely see your hand before your face, but we found tracks.**

**The sneaks landed below Micah's post and worked their way to the falls, taking those three. I've got men watching for an attack now, and the camp's on alert."**

**Faithful struggled to his feet and shook himself, his fur sticking out in wet points. Suddenly he let out a yowl of fury and dashed into the night. Myles and the soldiers stared after him in amazement.**

Alanna frowned, looking at him. "Where did you go?" she questioned.

_To settle some matters_ he yowled.

Alanna knew he wouldn't answer, so she didn't question further. She ignored the slightly amused look Gary gave her for talking to a cat.

**"Someone knew he'd be on watch with Alan," Jonathan said. Suddenly he looked old and grim. "They laid a magic that would affect Faithful in particular. When I touched him, **_**I **_**went under." He bit his lip.**

**"They may've taken three, but they **_**wanted **_**Alan. They knew he'd be there with his cat, and they took him." He gripped Myles's arm. "Myles, we have to **_**do **_**something! If they find out—"**

Alanna gasped quietly, her fists clenching. He had been about to reveal her secret! She kept quiet only because she knew he wouldn't do it on purpose. He had been worried about her… and he'd almost let it slip in his panic. The thought touched her, but it also made her worried that he might accidentally tell someone.

**"Hush, Jonathan!" Myles interrupted. "We'll do all we can."**

**The sentry who brought Faithful cried out, "And that's **_**nothing**_**! We're bound here by the stupidest lot of orders ever writ—" His captain and the two noblemen were staring at him. He gulped and continued, "Saving your presence, Highness, my lord, but it's true. Micah and Keel are chums of mine, and Squire Alan saved this eye, not two weeks ago, and we can't help them!"**

Alanna smiled, though it also surprised her that anyone would remember her in the heat of battle.

**Jonathan put a hand on the man's shoulder, smiling tightly. "We'll see, my friend." He nodded to Myles.**

**"I'm off to the fort. Maybe Roger will have some idea of what's going on."**

The tenseness in the air that came whenever Duke Roger's name was mentioned rose up again.

**Myles tugged his beard. "That's possible," he said thoughtfully. "That's very possible."**

Jon frowned, staring ahead and off into space. Myles had known. Alanna had confided in Myles, but not him. And as much as it pained him, he knew to at least a small extent that he had no one to blame but himself.

**ROGER knew nothing other than the kind of spell that had been used on the cat and the sleeping guard.**

**"Any village healer can do it, I'm afraid," he told Jonathan grimly. "Sleep is particularly easy to create, because it is something the body does naturally." He gazed out the window and sighed, knowing Jonathan was watching him closely. "A pity about that young man. With your father's orders. . . . We'll have to wait for a ransom demand. Alan's obviously a noble, and even Duke Hilam won't dare to flout the conventions of war."**

**But no ransom demand came by messenger bird across the river. It was well past noon on the day after the kidnapping when a red-eyed Jonathan returned to his tent. Faithful lay on the cot beside him, looking lost. Jon fell asleep while petting the cat, but within a few hours he was prowling the riverbank like a restless tiger. Other men were there—men from the camp, weapons-smiths, healers, Jonathan's friends—all staring at the other side, as if they could see the missing three if they looked hard enough. When Jonathan returned to camp, he found Myles staring into a full mug of brandy. To his surprise, the shaggy knight wasn't drinking.**

As grim as the scene was described, Alanna couldn't help but be touched by their concern. Lately Jon had been less… himself, and it pained her.

**"This is too serious for drink," Myles said, guessing the Prince's thoughts. He nodded toward Faithful; the cat was lying with his head on his paws, his eyes wide and unblinking. "He's worried. That makes **_**me**_** worried. I can't be convinced that Alan's capture was not the sole object of this raid."**

_Then you're smarter than the rest of them_ Faithful mewled.

**Jonathan sat down, twisting his hands together. "Myles, I **_**can't **_**leave him over there," he whispered. "He—"**

Alanna's hands twisted as she considered what he might have just revealed about her.

**Myles shook his head. "Don't."**

**"Sir?"**

**"You're about to tell my why Alan of all people should not be left among enemies for very long. I would rather hear it from Alan, when he's ready to tell me."**

**"You already know," Jonathan accused.**

**The older man smiled. "Let's say I've formed an educated guess. I can wait to have it confirmed."**

Alanna's face softened into a smile at those words. So much like Myles, she regretted not telling him sooner.

**Jonathan scowled, rising to pace again. "If Alan stays on that side of the river, you won't have to wait much longer."**

**Myles saw Jon was eying the river. "Your father was very specific, Prince Jonathan," he pointed out softly. "It would mean the head of any man who tried to rescue them. I hope you'll warn the others, because I'm afraid a rescue is exactly what they have in mind."**

**Jonathan stared at Myles. Suddenly he had an idea, a wild idea, but an idea nonetheless. "Perhaps the punishment would depend on who led the rescue!"**

The gleam in George's eyes showed his approval. He had heard about this from his informants, but he hadn't known that he had told Myles first. It was a good idea, he thought. Then at least one person would know where they'd gone if all went to chaos.

**Myles met his stare with calm eyes. "I would be obligated by my oath to your father to stop a rescue attempt."**

**Jonathan smiled, knowing what the knight was really saying. "Of course, Myles. Oh, what will you be doing after the evening meal?"**

**Myles tugged his beard. "I think I'll ride down to the fort to confer with our commander. I shall probably be there very late."**

**Jonathan nodded absently. "You should take a couple of men," he murmured, thinking hard. "We don't want **_**you **_**kidnapped, with our security so poor." He strode off, his walk purposeful.**

Alanna grinned. This conversation between the two of them, it made her remember what she had seen in Jon. He was brave, noble, and courageous, but as much as it pained her she couldn't love him the way she used to. Not with the things that had been said. The realization made the smile slide off her face.

**Watching him go, Myles began to chuckle. "That young man gets more like the Old King every day."**

**The cat stretched, suddenly looking better. **_**Yes**_**, he agreed.**

**JONATHAN discussed his plan with only one of the men: the soldier who had brought Faithful the night before. He was enough. When Jon, Gary, Raoul and their squires arrived at the falls just after sunset, they found thirty grim-faced men—and Faithful—waiting.**

**"So many?" Sacherell whispered nervously.**

**"That's the smallest number I could manage," the young soldier replied. "I've got ten more standing guard against our return."**

**Jonathan nodded, pleased. "Let's move."**

**Myles and Roger were playing chess when a guardsman burst in to whisper hurriedly into Roger's ear.**

**Myles saw with interest that Jon's cousin suddenly turned white.**

**"**_**What**_**?" the Duke snapped.**

**The guardsman bowed. "It's true, Your Grace. More than thirty of them, I'd guess. They've fired the huts the enemy built on the north side of their camp. I saw it myself from the wall."**

**Jumping to his feet, Roger turned on Myles, his eyes burning. "Do you know what my precious cousin has done? He's trying to rescue that be-damned squire of his!"**

Alanna digested this information with interest, frowning as she tried to piece it together. She had known that Roger had ordered she be captured, but she couldn't see why he would be so overturned that Jonathan had gone to rescue her. Jon saving her from discovery was a large inconvenience to Roger, but more an inconvenience than anything else.

Unless… Quickly, she realized that if Jon had gotten a look at her chains, he would have known that they were spelled against lockpicking and the Gift, and that they were the _only_ set spelled. He might have even been able to see Roger's magic around them, if he had spelled them himself, which was likely. He would have wanted to ensure it was his own handiwork on the chains so as to prevent any mishaps. She smiled bitterly.

**Myles sipped his wine. "Has he indeed?" the knight replied mildly. "The King will not be pleased."**

**"How could you not hear of this?" Roger demanded hotly. "You were there all afternoon. Surely you must have seen them plotting!"**

**"They wouldn't tell their plans to anyone who would stop them," Myles said. "I knew they were upset, of course. It **_**is **_**natural for men to be angry when three comrades are snatched from under their very noses. There are even rumors that Jem Tanner was not the only traitor among us."**

**"Shall I assemble a helping force, Your Grace?" the guardsman wanted to know. "They must be outnumbered—"**

**"Don't be a fool!" Roger snapped. "It'll be **_**our **_**heads with the King if we further my cousin's folly."**

**"I doubt His Majesty will have Jonathan beheaded for rescuing a friend," Myles commented. "I also doubt that he will be so unfair as to punish the Prince's companions." He disappeared into his wine cup.**

Jon frowned, wondering how he could have been so blind. It was such a flimsy excuse to not send a helping force. Cousin—_Rodger_, he reminded himself forcefully—must have decided that there was still a chance that he would get killed in the rescue attempt. He grimaced bitterly.

**Roger drew a deep breath before answering, finally retrieving his iron self-control. "What my cousin may do, others may **_**not **_**do." He turned to the guardsman. "Post archers along the riverbank. They can cover Prince Jonathan's retreat." He stalked over to his desk to grab his seeing-crystal. "I must inform my uncle. If you will excuse me, Sir Myles?"**

**ALANNA came to in a small wooden hut. Two other men, Micah and Keel, were there, but they were still unconscious. Glancing at the tiny, iron-barred window, she saw it was well past noon. She drew a dipper of water from the bucket, splashing it in the men's faces with difficulty. This was due in part to the stiffness in her wounded arm and in part to the fact that she, like the two men, was wearing heavy chains. Calling on the small reserve of magic she had built up over the weeks of rest to stop the pounding in her head and arm, she found herself weak and gasping. There was magic in her chains, magic that bound her Gift as well as the rest of her.**

Jonathan scowled and turned to Alanna. "You never told me that!" he exclaimed.

Alanna's expression went stony, at a countenance to her words. "I suppose I didn't think to"

**Micah and Keel came around slowly, still dazed from the sleeping-spell.**

**"Sorcery—fah!" Micah growled, spitting on the ground. "No decent warrior uses sorcery!"**

**"No decent warrior uses traitors, either," Micah told his comrade. "And Duke Hilam's done both. He'll stop at nothing."**

"There's a reason why thieves don't fight in wars" George murmured.

**They were interrupted by heavy footsteps and the clank of a key ring. The door swung open, revealing a Tusaine captain flanked by two soldiers. He pointed to Micah and Keel.**

**"You two. You'll be paid well and released, if you give information."**

**Micah jerked his head at Alanna. "What about the boy? He's a noble; he's got the right to be ransomed."**

**The captain shook his head. "Not that one. His Grace wants to talk with him personal." He scowled. "A filthy way to fight a war," he muttered.**

Jonathan nodded in approval. It was gratifying to know that neither side had enjoyed Rodger's meddling, even though Tusaine didn't know it was Rodger's.

**Alanna and her two friends exchanged puzzled looks. What was the man talking about?**

**"You will have your lives if you tell us what we want to know," the Tusaine went on.**

**"I'd sell my own mother's honor first," Keel snapped. "What are you going to do with Squire Alan?"**

**The captain shrugged. "You had your chance." He nodded to his men, and the three left, locking the door behind them.**

**"That was very well said," Alanna remarked slowly, "but I have a feeling you just gave away your lives."**

**"Mayhap our people will try a rescue," Keel said hopefully.**

**Alanna shook her head. "The King gave orders. Anyone who tries a rescue will be guilty of treason."**

**"Give me a hand up," Micah ordered Keel suddenly. "I want to see something."**

**Alanna watched as the younger man boosted Micah up to the window. Finally Micah jumped down. "If we could get loose, we're to the rear of the camp," he said gruffly. "There's nothing between us and the trees. We're hid away from their main army, Squire Alan." He shook the chains on his arms. "If we weren't burdened with these..."**

George looked at Alanna, frowning. "What happened to those picks I gave you?" he asked. Alanna frowned and didn't answer, motioning instead for Gary to continue reading.

**"Oh!" Alanna hit herself on the forehead. "I'm stupid as well as insane. Here."**

George chuckled, and Alanna almost shot a playful glare at him. Almost, because at the last moment she remembered that she was supposed to be pretending that the both of them didn't exist until they grew up and stopped acting like children.

**She pulled a long strip of metal from its hiding place inside her belt and went to work on the locks. "The second you have a chance, break for the trees and make your way back. That's an order, understand?"**

Myles grimaced, wondering if there would ever be a time that she'd save herself.

**"But ..." Micah protested as his chains fell to the ground.**

**"Don't say 'but.' It's me they want. If you get free, they may not chase you very hard. Prince Jonathan has to know what happened." She began on Keel's chains as Micah rubbed his ankles, frowning.**

George smiled a tiny bit in pride. Of course, Alanna had managed to use the only thing that would have gotten the two to leave her: loyalty to their country. Their sense of duty would force them to leave so they could inform Jonathan, and Alanna had known that.

**"Where did you learn this?" Keel asked.**

**Alanna laughed shortly. "You'd be surprised." Once Keel's chains were undone, she tried the lock-pick on her own. She half-expected the result: the pick turned white-hot. Alanna dropped it on the ground where it lay, melted out of any useful shape.**

**"As I thought. Somebody made triply sure I couldn't leave." Was it just an accident that her chains alone were sorcerer-and pick-proof? Somehow she had trouble believing it was coincidence.**

"It wasn't" George said grimly.

**More visitors came as sunset was dying from the sky. At the sound of approaching footsteps, Micah and Keel hid themselves on either side of the door, their chains ready for use as weapons. **

"It won't be enough" Jon said. "Hilam's mad, not stupid"

**The footsteps stopped.**

**"Captain," a male voice hissed, "if you continue your objections, I will see to it that you're given a less unpleasant command—under the noses of the fort archers, for example."**

**"I don't like fighting a war this way." It was the voice of the captain who had first visited them. "It isn't honorable."**

Jon nodded, respect rising in him for the captain.

**"I believe in **_**results**_**, not honor." The stranger uttered three arcane words. Red fire burst through the hut, blinding Alanna. Micah and Keel slumped to the floor, unconscious, and the door swung open. Alanna blinked the spots from her eyes as a richly dressed nobleman, accompanied by the captain and two large soldiers, walked in. The nobleman was not much taller than Alanna, with large hazel eyes and a sharply handsome face. His looks were spoiled by the ugly set of his mouth as he prodded Keel with an elegantly shod toe.**

**"I thought something like this might occur. Who picked the locks?" His beautiful eyes flicked to Alanna.**

**"You?"**

**Alanna stood braced, her arms folded across her chest. "Who wants to know?"**

Myles cracked a weak smile, anticipating her reactions even though it would be smarter for her to stay silent and wait for rescue. But Alanna would never be the one to stay silent if she didn't want to, and if she did… well, she wouldn't be Alanna.

**The nobleman smiled cruelly. "I've heard about your bad manners, Alan of Trebond."**

**"Funny. **_**I **_**always heard the men of Tusaine possessed some trace of honor." She glanced at the captain, who was turning beet red. "Isn't it odd how rumor lies?"**

Raoul chuckled.

**Someone else stepped through the open door. "Don't let him get the upper hand, brother," Jem Tanner warned. "He's tricky."**

The room once again filled with tension at the mention of betrayal.

**Alanna leaped for Big Thor's murderer. The guards caught her and slung her to the ground, where one of them pressed his spear to her throat. "Don't do it again," he advised gruffly. After a moment he raised the spear, letting Alanna sit up. Jem retreated to the door, white under his tan.**

"He should be" Alanna said, her voice strained with anger.

**"Kill the little viper, Hilam!" he urged. Micah and Keel were coming to. "Before he finds a way to trick you!"**

**Alanna looked at the well-dressed man. So **_**he **_**was Duke Hilam, the one responsible for this long, hateful summer. It was hard to believe so much trouble could come from such a small man.**

**Duke Hilam covered a yawn. "I'll kill him when I'm ready, brother," he announced. "Not a moment sooner."**

Jon stiffened again, staring at the book. "Brothers" he muttered. "I should have known. There had been precious little news of Count Jemis before Tusaine attacked" he cursed.

**Alanna stared. "You're **_**brothers**_**?"**

**"There isn't much of a family resemblance." Hilam grinned cruelly. "That's what made Jemis an ideal spy."**

**Then Alanna remembered that the three royal brothers of Tusaine were King Ain, Duke Hilam, and Count Jemis. Jemis—or Jem—was rarely seen in public because he rode around the land, sending reports to Prime Minister Hilam. A spy indeed!**

**Boiling mad, Alanna struggled to her knees. "Forgive me for not recognizing you sooner, Duke Hilam," she spat. "Your sweet nature should have—"**

"Don't anger him" Myles advised, his voice strained. "Hilam takes pleasure in causing pain, and he'll jump at any chance to torture his captives"

**Hilam kicked her down. "I'm not amused by you, **_**prisoner**_**. Don't try my patience."**

**Alanna curled up around the side he had kicked, sweating with pain. No one was watching her two companions; all attention was on her and the Duke. She looked up at him, boiling mad.**

George cursed. "There are better ways to distract him than making yourself a target" he growled in agitation. Alanna looked at him coldly.

"And what, pray tell, might those ways be?" she asked, her nerves frayed and her temper rising. "Attacking him would be even worse, and there isn't much else I can do"

The thief let out a ragged breath, running a hand over his face as he stayed silent. Satisfied, Alanna waved at Gary to continue reading.

**"You **_**are **_**brave, kicking a chained prisoner. They must sing heroic ballads about you on winter nights!"**

**Hilam grabbed her chains, yanking her to her feet. "I've heard about your tongue, Squire." He was smiling calmly; **_**that **_**frightened her. No one as angry as Hilam smiled, unless he was insane. "Perhaps I'll cut it out." He threw her against the rear wall and advanced on her.**

**Alanna struggled to her feet, never taking her eyes off him. "Behavior I'd expect from the goatherd's bastard, not a nobleman," she taunted as Micah and Keel inched toward the open door. "Perhaps your mother tricked your father?"**

**Hilam hit her again, knocking her to her knees. Micah and Keel bolted out the door, running for all they were worth. When Hilam turned to follow, Alanna grabbed him, wrapping her arms around his torso.**

**The Tusaine was stopped from throwing a spell after the escaping men by the magic that kept Alanna helpless.**

Inwardly, George nodded at the resourcefulness of the manoeuvre. Turn your weaknesses into your weapons. For a minute or two he thought of the possibility of Alanna becoming a tactician; she certainly had the head for it. But he discarded the thought, knowing that her place was in battle, protecting the ones she loved with a sword.

**"Don't follow!" Hilam ordered, yanking out of Alanna's hold and slapping her. "**_**This **_**is the one we have to worry about!"**

**"Let me have him," Jemis urged. "He's been an annoyance to me for a long time. I could have killed Prince Jonathan that night if he hadn't been there."**

**Alanna could hear shouting in the distance. She crossed her fingers and prayed her friends would escape.**

**"He's been an annoyance to many for a long time," Hilam snapped, his clean-shaven face grim. "Before I let you play with him, he's going to tell me something about Tortall. He's going to tell me all Prince Jonathan's plans and all King Roald's plans. Then he will tell me things that don't interest me at all, but he'll tell them because he'll say anything to stop the pain."**

Alanna froze, wondering not for the first time if it wasn't only for Tortallan secrets that she was captured.

**"Pigs might fly," Alanna snapped. She spat in the man's face.**

**Hilam wiped the spit away, his lovely eyes thoughtful. "You'll take a while to break." He smiled suddenly, and her stomach sank. "That will be quite enjoyable. Only think, you'll have the doubtful fame of being the one responsible for my taking this entire valley. How does **_**that **_**sit with your much-loved honor, Squire Alan?"**

**"Perhaps your mother betrayed your father with a warthog," Alanna said thoughtfully. She would just get sick if she listened to what he was saying. "You both certainly have a warthog's manners. Jem there even has a warthog's looks."**

Gary shook his head, wondering what the point of taunting him was now. He knew Alanna wasn't stupid or suicidal, and she surely knew that aggravating him wouldn't do any favours. Then it hit him, and a smile spread across her face. She was stalling.

**Jem lunged for her, only to be stopped by one of the guardsmen.**

**"Jemis is very rash," Hilam told Alanna. "I'm not. It's going to take far more than these little barbs to pierce **_**my **_**armor—"**

**"Perhaps my sword will pierce it, then?" Jonathan asked coolly from the doorway.**

Woops were heard around the room as the tension drained from it, to be replaced with relief. Only Myles wondered what would have happened in Jonathan hadn't gotten there in time.

**"Thank you, Faithful. You seem to have led us to the right place."**

**Micah, Keel, Gary, Sacherell, Raoul and Douglass were behind the Prince. Faithful ran between their feet to place himself between Alanna and her tormentor, hissing angrily. Hilam, unnerved by the cat's purple stare—so like Alanna's own—stepped back into Sacherell's grip.**

Alanna snorted. "If all it takes is a cat with purple eyes to unnerve him I'm surprised he lasted this long" she muttered, her anger still reflected in her tone though it was significantly dimmed.

**Jonathan laid the point of his sword beside Hilam's nose. "Don't move, please, and don't try any sorcery. I'll make you swallow it." He turned to the three soldiers, who were watching Gary's and Raoul's drawn bows with keen attention. "The keys to my friend's chains. Now."**

**The captain tossed them to Alanna, who grinned at him before setting to work on the locks. "Jonathan, the soldiers are all right. But these two"—she pointed to Hilam and Jemis—"are King Ain's brothers."**

**"Jem Tanner, a king's brother?" Micah gasped.**

**A slow grin spread across Jon's face. "I think I know how we are going to leave this camp safely. We're taking two guests with us, two very **_**important **_**guests. And I'm sure we can think of a fair ransom. Don't you, Duke Hilam? I know King Ain will not think peace is not **_**too **_**small a price to pay, not for his brothers' lives."**

**KING ROALD was not pleased, but—as Myles and Jonathan had known—he could scarcely behead his own son. Instead Roald negotiated the Drell Peace, in which Tusaine vowed to relinquish all claims to the valley forever.**

Jon snorted. "Or until Ain lets Hilam off his leash again" he muttered darkly.

**King Ain was willing to agree to much more: he wanted his brothers back to rule his lands for him. By the end of August the peace was signed, and Alanna and her friends were able to go home.**

"That's the end of the chapter" Jon said, looking around. "Here, Gary, it's your turn" the boy turned the book over to Gary, but the boy shook his head and marked the place before closing it.

"It's getting late" he explained, nodding to the darkened sky outside. There room didn't have much light in it, as Myles had forbidden the servants from entering the room to light the lamps. He didn't want anyone hearing anything they shouldn't.

The group agreed, each person standing up one by one to stretch their limbs. They'd been sitting still in one place for too long. Myles looked around at them all, a small smile etched into his face. "I'm sure the cook will be obliged to cook us a nice dinner" he said, to the relief of Gary's grumbling stomach.

The majority of the group filed away to get something to eat, but Alanna stayed behind, staring at the book and gently stroking Faithful.

"Why does Jon have to be so… so infuriating?" Alanna suddenly demanded, standing up and pacing back and forth.

The cat stretched and yawned, looking at her inquisitively. _He's jealous_.

Alanna frowned. "But that doesn't make any sense! He knows I'm not with George and…" she blushed but still ploughed on "and _George_ was always the one who instigated those kisses. Besides, who is he to command who I see?" she added, glaring at Faithful as if it was his fault.

Faithful stood up and padded over to Alanna, gently butting his head against her leg. _He loves you, but he can see that you love George_.

A pained expression crossed her face. "That's… I don't" she mumbled, though the words sounded like a lie even to her own ears. She looked away, suddenly not wanting to discuss this anymore. "Come on, let's get something to eat. I'm sure the cook has some fish you can have"

Faithful yowled in agreement, thankfully not bringing up the subject again. Alanna joined the others for a quiet dinner, tension evident between her, George and Jon even though Gary tried his best to lighten the mood. Finally, she retired to the chambers Myles had given her, collapsing into bed.

She was tired, and yet she spent several hours awake, her eyes staring up at the ceiling. She didn't know what to think. George… the look in his eyes scared her. She didn't want love, she didn't want marriage. But she knew if she married Jon then she'd have to have those things, and she'd be duty-bound to sire Jonathan's heir. She'd have to give up her dreams of adventure and spent her time at the castle, learning to sew and become just another giggling woman with no notion of battle.

But if she chose George, she knew he would let her be who she wanted to. He'd never demand anything of her that she didn't want. But it just wasn't that simple!

She let out a frustrated huff, rolling on her side as she stared at the wall. She couldn't just up and leave Jon for George. The idea was unthinkable. Even with the way he had been acting lately, she couldn't even consider the idea. She knew what women that did that were called; gold-diggers, harlots, flirts.

She kept turning the subject over in her head, again and again, until she was exhausted with it and her eyes could do nothing but close and let her sink off into an uneasy sleep.


	8. Winter Lessons

The following morning they were roused early for a day of reading. Alanna blearily told the servant that was waking her to tell Myles that she'd be up soon, then wrenched herself out of the warm bed to get dressed.

She had a quick bath, but just as she was wrapping a towel around herself she caught sight of her discarded saddlebag in the corner. She knew inside it was a dress, the very first one that she'd worn. She'd brought it on a whim, and in retrospect it had been an incredibly dangerous thing to do (what if someone had looked through her bags?), but it didn't matter now, did it? Myles and all her friends already knew she was a woman now, so why shouldn't she indulge?

Finally she strode forward and took out the dress, preparing herself for the day the way Mistress Cooper had shown her. Smiling at her reflection, she heard a knock at the door, and quickly looked around, snatching up a cloak that she quickly put on, disguising her figure and dress.

Opening the door, she smiled at the servant there, who informed her that dinner was being served in the sitting room. Alanna smiled and thanked the servant, then walked to the room, thankful that she'd had time to get used to the layout of Myles's home.

She opened the door to the roo, shrugging the cloak off her shoulders as she did so, placing it on the back of the chair she'd been sitting in earlier. The others looked up at her arrival, and Alanna had to grin at the astonishment on Gary and Raoul's faces.

"I _am_ a girl you know" she teased lightly, trying to ignore her own embarrassment. "Didn't we already establish that?"

Gary at least had the decency to blush and look away, but Raoul just grinned. "Knowing and seeing are two different things" he said.

She blushed and sat down, self-consciously arranging her skirts about her like Mistress Cooper had instructed. She accepted a plate of food from a smiling Myles, eating it quickly so they could continue reading.

Finally Gary finished his food, the last to do so, and picked up the book.

**Chapter 7, Winter Lessons** he read

**ALANNA pulled her cloak tight against the wind and knocked hard on the door marked with the healer's sign. She waited, watching the last fall leaves dance in the street, until Mistress Cooper appeared.**

"George's mother?" Gary asked, his brow furrowing.

Alanna blushed, then looked down at herself and wryly thought that she certainly picked the right day to dress up. "Keep reading" she said in a resigned voice.

**"Hello," Alanna said shyly, letting the hood fall back from her face so George's mother could see who her late-night visitor was. "Can we talk?" Mistress Cooper smiled, motioning Alanna inside. **

**"It's been a long time, little one," she commented as she bolted the door. "Come into the kitchen and I'll make us some tea." She led the way, her majestic form casting a long shadow in the hallway. "I trust you're recovered from your wounds? How is your arm?"**

**Alanna took off her cloak and draped it in front of the kitchen fire before rotating her left arm obediently. "It's a little stiff sometimes, but it's all right now. I wasn't as badly hurt as people think."**

**Mistress Cooper put on the teakettle. "My son doesn't feel as you do. But perhaps he has his reasons for worrying?"**

**The girl blushed. "George worries about me too much. I hope he gets over it before I go away."**

They all winced at the words. "Are you still determined on leaving to go off on adventures?" Raoul asked, his tone teasing despite the fact that his dark eyes told her he was very serious indeed.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I don't know" she answered honestly. Her reason for leaving before had been the steadfast belief that none of them would want to be her friend after they found out she had been lying to them, but without that reason there now for her to hide behind she was hopelessly confused.

Just one more thing to worry about, she wryly thought.

Gratefully, Raoul seemed to take the hint and not question her further, although she didn't miss the frowns on the other's faces. It gratified her to know that they didn't want her to go, although some part of her still found it hard to believe.

**"So you still plan to leave us once you have your shield?" The woman moved around the room on silent feet, getting cups and a plate full of cakes. Alanna bit into one of the cakes eagerly; she had only picked at her dinner.**

**"Of course," she said, her mouth full. She swallowed quickly. "I have a feeling that when I tell them I'm a girl, they won't want me around."**

Faithful shook his head. _Everyone told you you were wrong and you still didn't believe them_ he yowled. _Well you've told them and they're still here, so you may as well admit it_ he said, his smug tone making Alanna frown.

"Alright, alright, I was wrong" she glared at her familiar, waving a hand at Gary to continue reading.

**"Could be you're not doing them justice," Mistress Cooper suggested, pouring out the tea. "George tells me you're liked and trusted."**

**Alanna frowned. "Not by all." Shoving Duke Roger to the back of her mind, she cradled the cup of tea in her hands.**

**"How is His Highness?" the woman asked, sitting down.**

**Stirring the tea with the tip of her finger, Alanna replied softly, "I'm not sure. He's been—very odd, lately. Ever since we returned from the Drell Valley."**

Jon leaned forwards just a little, eager to head how she reacted to his behaviour. He didn't even know what his behaviour had been then—his emotions had been muddled with feelings for Delia, and the thoughts about her kidnapping, and his feelings for Alanna.

**"How so?"**

"**He… he blows hot, then cold. Sometimes I'm his best friend in the world. And sometimes he acts as if I'm poison. It doesn't make sense. He—" Alanna blushed. "He kissed me, this summer. I think he **_**wants**_** to do it again, except he doesn't. Sometimes he talks as if he doesn't like George, except I know that isn't true,**

The thief's eyes gazed at Jon from across the room, and he thought to himself that Alanna shouldn't be so sure.

**because he comes into the city to see George when I'm occupied. He expects a lot from a person!"**

**Alanna burst out, getting up to pace. "If I go to social events with him—and he **_**makes **_**me go—I have to have every hair in place. I have to have better manners than everyone else. I have to dance with all the ladies, as he does, even though no one else has to. I tell him I feel like a fool, and he tells me it's better to be a fool who's considerate than a fool who isn't. But if I really talk to a lady—or even to Gary or Raoul—for a bit, he gets angry! He says I mustn't lead the ladies on, and he accuses me of flirting with Gary and Raoul in the same breath!" Alanna sat down and gulped her tea, surprised at how the words had tumbled out of her.**

As Gary read, his tone became increasingly incredulous, and when he got to the point that he and Raoul were mentioned he shot a surprised look at Jon. "You really thought she was flirting with us?" he asked, shaking his head. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! I don't think Alanna even knows _how_ to flirt!"

Alanna frowned at him, about to open her mouth to object, but then she paused. "You're right" she admitted. Give her a sword and tell her to defend against an army, and she'd fly into the battle with all the willpower she had. But tell her to flirt with a man and she'd stare at you and ask if she couldn't just knock him out instead.

Jonathan looked rather pained, and for the first time he thought about how his actions had affected _her_. With a start, he realized he was acting the same way now—like a child. He was being petty and stupid, and that was no way to win Alanna's heart.

"I'm sorry" his quiet words cut through the air, and she knew he wasn't talking about just then. She hesitated, then gave him a small smile, wishing that everything could be made better with a small 'I'm sorry'. But it couldn't, and so she waved to Gary to continue reading, more confused than ever.

**"You seem rather angered with Prince Jonathan," Mistress Cooper observed.**

**Alanna turned deep red. "I don't know how I feel," she muttered. "I just can't figure out why he's treating me this way. But that isn't what I came about." She drew a deep breath. "Would you teach me how to dress like a girl?"**

Raoul grinned. "So that's how you learned!" he exclaimed, looking at her again. "She did a good job" he teased.

Alanna grinned and even laughed a little, knowing he didn't mean it. Raoul saw her as nothing but a friend, something that she was thankful for. It would only make things more confusing if he didn't.

**Mistress Cooper raised her eyebrows. "Now, this is odd," she said calmly. "Why such a request?"**

**Alanna made a face. "I don't know. I just—I see all the Queen's ladies wearing pretty things, and I've been thinking lately **_**I **_**like pretty things. I'm going to have to be a girl someday. Why shouldn't I start practicing now?"**

Myles smiled. "You always have to be useful" he said, but it came out as praise.

She blushed and shrugged. "Well, I think palace life was getting a little too boring for me" she joked.

**If Mistress Cooper thought Alanna's sudden wish to look pretty had anything to do with Jonathan, or with George, she knew better than to say so.**

Alanna blushed again, glaring at Raoul as if daring him to say something. He held up his hands in a 'who, me?' gesture and she waved for Gary to continue reading, ignoring the little smirk that was appearing on his lip.

**Instead she agreed to help Alanna with her new project, beginning that very night by taking the girl's measurements.**

**SEVERAL days later, Alanna came to Mistress Cooper's for fittings. As the older woman adjusted a hem, Alanna twisted, trying to see her back in the long mirror. "Hold still," Mistress Cooper ordered, her mouth full of pins. "You're worse than a city lad getting fitted with his first pair of long breeches."**

**"It doesn't look right," Alanna objected, trying to hold her body rigid while she turned her head. "It looks like Squire Alan in a girl's dress."**

**"That's because we've done nothing with Squire Alan's hair. Hold still!"**

Alanna made a face, fingering a lock of her hair that hung down in front of her face. "Before Mistress Cooper I had no idea that you _could_ do anything with my hair"

George grinned, imagining his mother fussing over Alanna's hair.

**The dress properly fitted, Mistress Cooper fussed with the girl's flaming locks and put some cosmetics on her flinching face. "I think you're wise to start accustoming yourself to woman's gear," she commented as she brushed dark color over Alanna's eyelids. "Although you've a lot to learn."**

**"If I'd known it was going to be this much fuss, I never would've asked," Alanna muttered.**

Myles laughed, his eyes twinkling merrily.

**Her friend laughed. "It's just... I needed an adventure. I've been pretty restless lately."**

**"Life in the palace is too tame for you?" Mistress Cooper asked sympathetically.**

Raoul snorted.

**"Not too **_**tame**_**, precisely," Alanna objected. "I just need to **_**go **_**somewhere. I need to get away from—certain people." She didn't want to say that Jonathan had kissed her again only the night before.**

Jon smiled

**She didn't even want to remember it,**

The smile dropped off his face, and Raoul held in a snicker at the look on his face.

**because when she did she also remembered the strange and frightening excitement she had felt when he held her. Now she sighed, confused.**

He frowned. 'strange and frightening' were not words that he wanted Alanna to associate with his kisses. He sighed.

**"I need time to think about things."**

**"I see," Mistress Cooper replied. "Well, stand up, child. Let me look at you."**

**Alanna stood, patting her pinned-up hair and tugging her skirt. Mistress Cooper had a very odd look on her face.**

**"Is something wrong?" Alanna asked nervously.**

**The older woman made her face the mirror. Alanna swallowed. She was looking at a **_**lady**_**.**

**"I'm beautiful," she whispered in awe.**

Both Gary and Raoul erupted in laughter at this, and even George cracked a smile. "Don't let it go to your head, lass" he advised, grinning. She pouted at the teasing, crossing her arms in a childish gesture that went at odds with her elegant dress.

**Mistress Cooper laughed at this. "You'll pass," she said, pushing Alanna into the kitchen. "You're not as beautiful as Lady Delia, say, or the new lady at Court, Cythera of Elden."**

**Alanna sighed. "**_**Nobody's **_**as beautiful as the Lady Cythera," she said drily. She moved to sit down.**

**"Not that way!" Mistress Cooper cried in alarm. "You'll rumple your skirts! Sweep them out—like this—and sit with them spread around you. And keep your feet together."**

Alanna made a face at this. "There was a reason I didn't want to go to the convent" she muttered, though the corners of her lips threatened to turn upwards. She was grateful to Mistress Cooper for taking her under her wing, and teaching her how to be a girl. She didn't have a mother of her own to do it for her, and between her, Myles, and her friends she felt like she had a family where she never had at home.

**Alanna tried this. It took several attempts before she got it right. "It's going to be as hard to learn to be a girl as it was to learn to be a boy."**

**"Harder," the woman said, putting the tea on. "Most girls don't have to unlearn being a boy. And now you have **_**two **_**sets of Court manners to master."**

**"But I already **_**know **_**Court manners," Alanna protested, getting the cups down.**

**"Do you know the different kinds of curtsy?" Alanna shook her head. "How to write invitations?" Alanna shook her head. "How do you accept an offering of flowers from a young knight, or a married man?"**

**"As if I'd be getting flowers from anybody!" Alanna snorted.**

"Any one that wanted to would be better off getting you stones, I'd find them just as useful" Alanna grumbled.

"At least you can use stones as weapons" Jon teased, and Alanna hesitated before she cracked a soft smile at him, deciding to forget for the time being all the mess around her feelings for him, and at least try to treat him as she did before everything had gotten confused.

**She rummaged in the cupboards. "Any cakes left?"**

**"I baked some fresh—"**

**"Great Merciful Mother!" Alanna gasped. She could hear horses in the courtyard: visitors! Her hand flew to the ember-stone and her pregnancy charm, both now revealed by the low neckline of her dress.**

**Turning, she ran for the door leading to the rest of the house.**

**Mistress Cooper caught her. "What has gotten into you?"**

**The kitchen door opened. "Mother, see who I finally brought to meet you!" George called. He turned to someone still outside. "Come on in, then—she's here."**

"You have impeccable timing as always, George" Alanna said drily. This earned a snort from him.

**"Stand straight," Mistress Cooper told Alanna. "Face him. You'll have to do it sometime."**

**Alanna drew a breath and turned around. George was still looking outside. "The man will take care of your horse; that's what he's there for," he told his companion. He looked back at his mother. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you had—"**

Raoul cackled, looking forward to his reaction even as Alanna gave him a playful slap on the shoulder.

**The King of Thieves stopped talking abruptly. His eyes widened. Carefully he looked Alanna over, inch by inch, while the girl turned a deep red.**

Both Gary and Raoul snorted, mirth twinkling in their eyes. "Inch by inch, you say?" Gary teased, waggling his eyebrows.

Alanna glared at them, turning red as she gave them both slaps on the head. She caught George's eye before she quickly turned away, pretending not to notice the faint reddish tinge to his cheeks

**"It's not polite to stare," she said tartly.**

More laughter followed this, and Alanna allowed a smile to be tugged from her lips. "Only you" Gary chuckled as his laughter died down enough for him to continue reading.

**"George, you're blocking the way." Someone behind the thief laughed. Alanna turned pale. She knew that voice. "Have you changed your mind? You don't want me to meet your mother after all?" Prince Jonathan, dressed in the plain shirt and breeches he always wore into the city, edged into the kitchen behind the thief.**

Raoul leaned forwards, rubbing his hands with glee and ignoring the fondly exasperated look on Alanna's face. It took her mind off the mess with Jon, and he wasn't going to stop. The wary, tired look in her eyes had all but vanished, and she was smiling even as she shook her head.

And, well, there was the upside that it was _really_ funny. He so rarely got to tease Jonathan lately—he'd become more princely and charming, and there really wasn't much to tease him about.

**Mistress Cooper moved forward, smiling. "And so you're Prince Jonathan, or is it Johnny today?"**

**"I'm always Johnny in the city," Jonathan admitted.**

"Ooh, such a charmer" Gary teased.

**Alanna put her hands on her hips, scowling. "And do you mention the fact in front of every strange young lady you meet?" she demanded.**

Raoul laughed again, clapping Alanna on the back. "Good one" he said, ruffling her hair. She dodged out of his arm's reach, giving him a slap on the hand as she moved to fix her hair, not bothering to resist the smile tugging at her lips.

"Honestly though, I could have been anyone" she frowned.

Jonathan shrugged. "Mistress Cooper already mentioned my name in front of you, so I assumed that you could be trusted"

**Jonathan looked at her, a small frown crossing his face. "Forgive me, gentle lady.**

"'Gentle lady' isn't something I'd use to describe Alanna any day" Raoul said drily.

**I didn't see..." His voice trailed away as he stared. Finally he whispered, "You—you're wearing a dress. You look—"**

More laughter followed the statement.

**He blushed, swallowed and changed the subject. "Where did you get the stone around your neck? I haven't seen it before."**

Gary snorted. "Tactful"

**"Close the door," Mistress Cooper ordered him. "You're letting the cold in. Lass, we'll need two more cups, I think."**

**George gripped Alanna's arm as she moved past him. "So you're a girl, after all."**

Raoul grinned. "See? I'm not the only one that didn't believe it!" he laughed. Alanna grinned, laughing along with them.

**"I thought you knew that," Alanna snapped. She looked at Jonathan. "**_**You **_**don't seem surprised."**

"Oh, he seemed pretty surprised to me" Gary said in a sing-song voice that dissolved into snickers when Alanna gave him a slap on the shoulder.

"Nice to see that our realm's in the hands of such mature young knights" she said drily.

**He grinned. "Oh, I am, a little. I knew you were up to something, though. You've been awfully mysterious lately. And remember I caught you two days ago piling your hair on top of your head and looking at yourself in the mirror."**

She blushed at the memory.

**"Some people think they're pretty observant since they became heroes of the war," Alanna said sniffing.**

**"Maybe I do," Jonathan replied amiably. "But what is that stone?"**

**Alanna looked at the ember-stone, fingering it. "I got it from—from a Lady I met once."**

**Jonathan frowned. "Why would a lady give you a charm? It looks valuable, whatever it is; and it's magic for certain."**

**Alanna shrugged. "If it's magic, it's not magic I can use. And she gave it to me—well, it's a long story, and I really don't want to tell it right now. I don't understand it myself." She sat down, and Mistress Cooper handed her the teapot.**

Jon frowned, wondering why she hadn't told them about the charm.

**"Pour," the woman instructed. "You two can take off your hats, at least. Don't you know when you're being served by a lady?"**

**IT WAS NOT the last time Alanna wore a dress. Wearing a black wig, she went into the city (usually in Mistress Cooper's company), getting used to her skirts and learning about the things most girls her age took for granted. They had the most fun in the marketplace, where they often shopped for additions to the wardrobe Alanna kept in a locked chest at the foot of her bed. Snow came in mid-November, falling for days and forming immense drifts. The people watched and prayed for a break in the weather. It finally came, and the snow ceased to fall, leaving in its place bitter cold that refused to break. Huntsmen called it "Wolf Winter," the time when wolves, finding little else to hunt, turned on men. Alanna, loathing the cold, bundled up and tried her best to ignore it.**

**In early December the first reports of wolves came from the villages around the Royal Forest. The King sent hunt after hunt to slay the man-killers, while other fiefs in the north of Tortall reported the same problem. Coram wrote that he had moved the families of Fief Trebond into the castle to keep them safe.**

**There was certainly room enough, he added in his letter, but it was annoying to have so many children underfoot.**

Alanna smiled fondly, knowing that he didn't really mind. Coram was good with children: her own childhood was evidence enough of that.

**By February most of the killers were slain or in hiding, except one. He was called Demon Grey. He had been wounded at least three times—a huntsman's arrow had even taken one of his eyes recently—but nothing seemed to stop him for long, for he continued to prey on the villages of the Royal Forest. When at last he entered a woodsman's hut, taking away a baby girl, the King ordered every man in the palace who could carry a spear out for the hunt. Duke Roger came, splendid in ermine-trimmed green velvet. Duke Gareth was there, his bad leg still a little stiff. Even Myles was present, warm in brown velvet and fur and looking uncomfortable. The King himself led the hunt.**

**Alanna was even more uncomfortable than Myles. Moonlight had cast a shoe; Alanna couldn't ride her. Instead she was mounted on a prickly chestnut with a hard mouth, a fidgety, anxious fellow who obviously preferred his nice warm stall. Alanna didn't blame him. She dressed to survive the weather, with several layers of wool clothing and fleece-lined leather over it all. When she checked herself in the mirror, she was several sizes larger.**

The others laughed, remembering her famous aversion to the cold.

**"We're going to hunt, not sleep out all night," Jonathan said, laughing when he saw her.**

**Alanna blushed. "I get cold."**

**"I don't think you can move with all those layers on," he told her as they waited in the courtyard for his father to arrive.**

**"Oh?" Leaning from the saddle in a swift movement, Alanna scooped up a handful of snow and lobbed it into her prince's face. "See?" She grinned as she trotted past Jonathan. "I'm warm and mobile."**

**She caught up with Gary and Raoul, riding with them for a while. She saw little of her large friends these days; the King always had duties for them. The three laughed and joked until the Huntsman-in-Charge blew the Discovery up ahead. Then the knights rode on while Alanna stayed back, knowing she wouldn't be needed. She didn't mind if someone else got the glory in a hunt of this size. Too often she felt sorry for the animal, outnumbered by so many armed and trained knights. (Not that she ever could feel sorry for a child-killing wolf.)**

Alanna frowned grimly, remembering the fire she'd seen around the wolf as it had died. She wondered if Rodger was so callous as to cause the death of an innocent child.

**The discovery **_**was **_**a wolf. The King brought it down himself. But it was not Demon Grey. Alanna watched every movement between the trees, wishing she had brought Faithful. It had seemed silly in the morning to bring a cat on a wolf hunt, but now she missed her companion's sharp ears and nose.**

_You should have brought me_ Faithful sniffed. Alanna nodded, stroking his dark fur in apology.

**The hunt moved on, bagging another wolf and a mean old boar. Slowly the hunters spread out over the Royal Forest, until occasionally Alanna followed it by sound alone. When it swept around her, she would fall in with the others, then the hunters would ride on. She wasn't worried. She was never so far away that a blast on the horn hanging at her waist wouldn't bring someone immediately, and there were usually other horsemen around. Besides, Demon Grey attacked children and old people, not warriors.**

_Unless they've been spelled_ Faithful yowled.

**A sound—crashing! A wolf's snarl! Wheeling the chestnut, Alanna yelled for help. After an answering triumphant shout, she spurred into the clearing where the shout seemed to come from and halted. Duke Roger knelt in the snow, his spear fixed in the body of a giant grey wolf. He grinned when he saw Alanna. "A few moments earlier, and **_**you **_**might have had him, Alan."**

**Alanna dismounted, ready to give the Duke a hand. "I don't grudge you the kill, sir. Are you certain that's Demon Grey?"**

Jon frowned, but it was Myles that spoke. "How can you speak with him so casually after your last talk?" he demanded.

Alanna shrugged. "What could I do? He wanted to kill me and I knew that, but that didn't mean that I had to shout obscenities at him or cower in fear. There was nothing I could do to prove it."

Myles shook his head, his face a little paler than before. He didn't like it. There were too many easy ways for a squire to have an accident in the palace and die.

**Roger shrugged. "How many wolves of this size and description can there be?" he asked.**

**A low snarl struck Alanna's ears. Her horse reared and bolted with a whinny of terror, taking her spear with him. Alanna froze, swearing under her breath and peering closely at the surrounding trees. Then she saw it: a larger wolf than the one Roger had killed was slinking toward her, its belly flat on the snow. Its left eye was missing; the other glittered with grim purpose.**

"Roger lured you" Jon said numbly, then cursed. He didn't know how, but his uncle had done it. It was too much of a coincidence otherwise.

**The wolf charged. Alanna drew Lightning, hoping to spear the huge animal before it leaped. The crust on the snow beneath her broke. She stumbled, Lightning opening a slash in the wolf's side before flying out of her hand. Furious at being wounded, the wolf whirled and charged again.**

**There was no time to retrieve her sword. Alanna gripped her dagger and, aiming for his blind side, threw herself onto the giant animal's back. Girl and wolf rolled over in the snow, a blur of grey and tan flashing with the white of the wolf's teeth and the copper of Alanna's hair.**

**Roger looked up; the clearing was ringed with hunters. Myles gripped Jonathan's shoulder, holding the younger man back. The Prince's eyes were terrible with fear for his friend.**

And yet Roger hadn't cared, Jonathan thought bitterly. Roger had taught him how to ride a horse, had assured him that he loved him, and yet he was perfectly happy with killing him and his best friend.

**Alanna did not see the reinforcements. She saw nothing but the wolf, who was doing his best to fling her off his back. She held on desperately, striking again and again with her knife. Suddenly the wolf shuddered and howled; her blade had entered his side. He fell, his paws twitching. She had stabbed him to the heart.**

**She let Jonathan pull her free of the wolf's body. "Are you insane?" he whispered, hugging her tightly for a moment.**

"That invoked a lot of rumors you know" Gary said casually, grinning at Alanna's flush and Jon's discomfort.

**"It attacked me." Alanna pushed Jon away gently, holding the ember-stone for comfort. Suddenly the colors, the sounds, even the smells in the clearing were very sharp. She was startled to see a bright orange glow around Roger. Even more odd was the fact that the same orange fire was fading from the bodies of the two wolves. Alanna looked at them and at Roger, puzzled. What was she seeing? The color of Roger's magic was orange. What had that to do with the wolves?**

"Roger bespelled Demon Gray to attack you" Myles said grimly.

"That stone will be very useful" George mused, eyeing the the talisman around her neck.

**A huntsman was examining the wolf she had just killed. "'Tis Demon Grey," he told the King positively.**

**"I shot out this eye myself three weeks past. That would be his mate," he added, nodding to the wolf claimed by Roger's spear.**

**"Are you all right?" Myles asked Alanna, worried by the strange look on her face.**

**Alanna released the ember-stone. All traces of orange fire, in Roger or in the wolves, was gone. "Am I?" she asked, not thinking about what she said. "I'm not sure."**

**THAT night Alanna waited until she and Faithful were alone in her room and Jonathan was out at a party before she took the ember-stone from beneath her shirt. The cat watched her, his tail twitching, as she looked around for a suitable object to experiment on. Finally she placed an old shirt in front of the hearth. After putting the stone on a table within reach, she concentrated on the shirt. Reaching toward it, she recited the Spell for Transforming. The spell was a hard one, requiring power and concentration, but she had both in plenty these days. Her weakness of the summer was gone, and the reserves of her Gift were greater than ever. She even wondered if she didn't **_**enjoy **_**using magic sometimes.**

Myles looked at her proudly. "You've grown" he said, smiling. She smiled back, almost not willing to believe it herself. _Her_, enjoying magic? She thought fondly that Maude would be proud of her.

**Purple fire flowed from her fingers into the shirt. It twitched and twisted, its outline slowly straightening and turning brown. Sweat rolled down Alanna's cheeks as she ended the spell. The shirt made a final struggle to stay a shirt before turning into a log of firewood. With a flick of her fingers, Alanna magically threw the log onto the fire. As it crackled and started to burn, she grabbed the ember-stone.**

**The log, the air between her and the hearth, even her fingertips glowed a brilliant violet. Slowly the color faded, and she put the Goddess's token down. Faithful walked over and rubbed against her legs, meowing, until she bent and picked him up, petting him absently.**

**"I don't think I've ever held it when magic was being used before," she whispered to the cat. "I always kept it hidden in Roger's class. I was afraid he'd guess something was strange about it. I wonder if it will always show me when there's sorcery around?"**

"The goddess's gift" Myles mused, a scholarly light gleaming in his eyes. He resolved to do some research on other recounts of gifts given by the goddess tonight.

_**When did you see magic used before? **_**Faithful asked.**

**"This afternoon," she whispered. "The color of Roger's Gift was on him and the two wolves." She began to pace, still holding her pet. "And what's the answer to that? What could he gain from magicking Demon Grey and his mate?"**

**Faithful hooked his claws into her tunic and climbed up onto her shoulder, perching there. **_**Who did Demon Grey try to kill?**_

**"Me," Alanna whispered. "He tried to kill me."**

**THE SPRING flew by, and Alanna's seventeenth birthday arrived. She rose and dressed before dawn that morning, then made her way to the underground levels and the Chapel of the Ordeal. It was deserted, except for the caretakers; priests came here only during the Midwinter Festival when would-be knights undertook the Ordeal. For two hours she sat and stared at the Chamber's iron door, thinking,**

_**Only a year and a half. Just eighteen months between me and what's in there. It's not enough time!**_

**Evidently Faithful judged that she had been there long enough. He left her with her thoughts, reappearing with Jonathan on his heels. The Prince took one look at Alanna's white face and dragged her out of the Chapel, closing the door firmly.**

Alanna smiled at her friend, thinking sadly that he always did know when she was thinking too much. Hesitantly, he smiled back, but after a moment or too she looked away. It was all too confusing. She didn't know what to do, and remembering how well Jon knew her wasn't helping.

**"Brooding about it only makes it worse," he told her kindly. "Why think about it at all? When the time comes, you'll go in there if you're ready or not. There's nothing you can do to prevent it, so come have some breakfast."**

**At lunch she received small gifts from Jon, Myles and George, and her friends drank her health. It was hard to believe she'd had six birthdays since coming to the palace. It was hard to believe so much had happened to her.**

**That night she slipped away early. She was too restless to socialize, and too nervous to sleep. The cause could have been the sight of Jonathan dancing with Lady Delia. From all the signs, the Prince planned to spend the night with the beautiful, green-eyed woman. Alanna didn't want to be there when they left together.**

Jon smiled again, though it was slightly bitter as he wondered about what he had ever seen in Delia.

**Thinking of Delia sent her to the wooden chest she kept at the foot of her bed, locked and magically protected. Opening it, she drew out her pretty clothes—a lace-trimmed chemise, delicate silk stockings, tiny leather slippers, a purple silk dress. She even took out the black wig she normally wore in public: there weren't enough violet-eyed redheds around to warrant her leaving her rooms without some kind of disguise.**

**She dressed and admired herself in the mirror. She wasn't a beauty like Delia, but she wasn't a hag, either. Defiantly she picked up a cloak and threw it over her shoulders. There was no law that said she had to be a boy on her seventeenth birthday, and Faithful wasn't there just then to advise caution.**

_I leave you for five minutes… _Faithful grumbled, shooting at the squire a look that would have been a glare on a human. Alanna smiled and picked up her familiar, stroking him as he settled down in her arms.

**Touching the ember-stone and feeling the charm to ward off pregnancy beside it, Alanna grinned. She'd never do anything to get herself pregnant, of that she was certain.**

Raoul grinned, waggling his eyebrows at her as she blushed.

**Still, she couldn't help but think of...**

**Amused that she was silly enough to wonder what sex was like, Alanna peered out her door.**

Laughter barked out at this statement, and she blushed heavily. "You think sex is silly, Alanna?" Raoul asked, wiggling his brows as he teased. She hit him again, and glared at Gary in a way that said he'd _better_ keep reading.

She didn't see the amused smile that graced George's lips, or the grin that was fixed on Jon's.

**The hallway was clear, and she was going for a walk in the gardens! What if Jonathan **_**was **_**with Delia? She was free and independent, and **_**that **_**was the important thing!**

**She felt bold and wonderful, strolling through the luxurious palace gardens by herself. Finding an isolated bench, she put her cloak aside and sat down. The moon was full, and she relaxed in its soft silver glow, turning her face up to it. **_**A night for lovers**_**, she thought, then bit her lip. She had no lover, and she didn't want one.**

George frowned and once again thought about how different she was from other women. He'd only met a few women who didn't want a lover, but Alanna had been the only one whose mind he'd thought about changing.

**She left her cloak and walked through the rose gardens, inhaling the heavy scent of the bloomin flowers. From here she could see the long terrace, where she had left Jonathan and Delia. Glancing at it she could see a man standing there now; he was watching her. Suddenly he went inside, and she lost her spirit of adventure. She didn't want one of her gallant friends coming out here to romance her; life was complicated enough!**

Gary grinned "Gallant, are we?" he dodged the resulting swat, laughing at her infuriated blush.

**He was waiting for her beside the bench where she had left her cloak.**

**"Hullo," he said casually, holding the garment up. "I think this is yours."**

**Alanna slid the wig from her hair. "How did you know it was me, Jonathan?"**

_That wasn't smart_ Faithful reprimanded. _What if someone else had seen?_

Alanna paled at the thought. "Luckily, they didn't" she muttered, stroking her pet some more.

**He came forward, taking one of her hands in his. "I guessed. And then I saw how you walked, and I was sure."**

**Alanna made a face. "Mistress Cooper tries to cure me of walking like a boy, but it doesn't seem to take."**

**Jonathan lifted the gold charm off her throat, examining it. "What's this?" he asked. His voice was soft and warm.**

**Alanna was thankful for the darkness that kept him from seeing her blush. "It's a charm to—keep me from having children," she stammered. "Mistress Cooper gave it to me a—a long time ago."**

**Jon chuckled. "Have you ever tried it out?" he asked, putting his free arm around her. Alanna braced herself against his chest, trying to ignore the silly fluttering in her stomach or the heat running through her body.**

Gary raised a brow. "Finally making your move, huh?" he teased. He ignored the glare Jon shot his way, but a curious look did appear on his face. "Well, it is good to finally know who it was you were so upset over" he admitted.

"What do you mean?" Alanna asked, looking at her friend curiously.

He snorted. "When Jon's got a crush _everyone_ knows. Hot then cold, talking about it to everyone present—although obviously not in this case—and writing poetry as well" his mischievous eyes met Jon's, who then promptly groaned and buried his head in his hands.

"Poetry?" she asked, grinning. The idea of Jon writing poetry about her—_her_!—was absurd and amusing.

Raoul piped in. "I think one of them compared your hair to the color of fish sauce" he grinned mischievously.

She laughed, both at the idea and at the Prince's reaction. "Really, Jon? Fish sauce?" she asked, her eyes dancing. "That's almost as bad as saying Delia's lips were like tomatoes"

Finally, Jon's muffled voice sounded from in between his hands. "I was emotionally distraught" he said, which only enhanced the laughter.

As the laughter died down to chuckles, Alanna caught Gary's eye and smiled at him gratefully. She knew he'd done it to lower the tension, and it had done that, but it had also given her one of those increasingly-rare opportunities to joke around with her friends like she'd done before her life had gotten too horribly complicated.

**"What's **_**that **_**supposed to mean?" she asked gruffly.**

**"This." Swiftly he kissed her again and again. Alanna felt giddy and was grateful that his tight hold kept her from falling. She was scared. She suddenly realized **_**she **_**wanted to be the one in his bed tonight.**

Alanna's cheeks were burning red, and she avoided everyone's eyes. She heard chuckles, but she couldn't tell who they were coming from.

**Jonathan stopped kissing her, only to start unlacing her bodice.**

The chuckles stopped, and Raoul's voice sounded. "Well, you move fast" he said, and she looked at him to see a tiny frown on his face.

_And in the gardens, too_ Faithful yowled disapprovingly. _Didn't you care if someone had seen you?_

Jon glared at the both of them, looking away, his former mirth gone.

**Alanna shoved him away, terrified. "No!" she gasped, grabbing her laces. "I was crazy to think—Jonathan, please!"**

_At least she has some sense_ Faithful grumbled. _For once_

**The Prince realized she was trembling, her hands shaking too badly for her to lace herself. He shook his head and did the work for her.**

**"You're fighting what has to be," he said, "and you know it as well as I do."**

**"I—I know no such thing," she stammered. "I promised myself once that I'd **_**never **_**love a man! Maybe I almost broke that promise just now because of moonlight and silliness—"**

**"Stop it," he told her sternly. He made her look up at him. "We belong to each other. Is that silliness? Surely you've realized all along this had to happen." When she did not answer, he sighed. "Go away, before I change my mind."**

Gary frowned. What did he mean, 'before he changed his mind'? He knew his friend wouldn't do anything near to what he was thinking, but still, the sentence didn't sit right with him. Alanna was like a sister—formerly a brother—to him, and he didn't want to see her get hurt.

**Alanna ran. Once inside her room, she bolted the door, undressed and threw her clothes into a corner.**

**This was what came of wearing a dress! Men got ideas when a person wore skirts!**

Jon looked at her, frowning. Is that what she thought? That it was because she'd worn a dress?

_**George vowed love to you without ever seeing you in skirts**_**, a reasonable part of her mind said, but Alanna kicked that thought**__**away.**

George's soft smile appeared on his face. It was clear to him that Alanna was in denial, as much as it pained him. But the mention of him… maybe he wouldn't lose this battle yet.

**She paced nervously, snapping her fingers. Where was Faithful? She didn't want to be alone when**__**Jonathan came back to his room. Suddenly her knees weakened, and she sat on her bed. Of course**__**Jonathan wouldn't come back. He'd go to Delia now. He didn't want Alanna; he just wanted a girl to**__**have fun with.**

Jon frowned again. "Is that what you think?" he asked, his voice troubled. She didn't answer—she didn't know how to.

_**Oh? **_**said that nasty, reasonable corner of her mind. **_**Then why did he say what he did? Why did he say you belonged with him?**_

**Hadn't the Goddess told her to learn to love? Did she love Jonathan?**

**A sound in the other room startled her. He hadn't gone to Delia! He was preparing for bed in his own room, moving quietly so he wouldn't disturb her. He hadn't been looking just for amusement!**

**Alanna's lips quivered. She **_**wanted **_**Jonathan's love. To be honest, she had wanted that love for a long time.**

**She rapped on the door between their rooms. "Jon?"**

**He opened the door. His eyes were bright as he looked at her. Alanna swallowed. "I'm scared. Help me, please."**

**Jonathan's voice was rough as he said, "I'm scared, too. At least we can be scared together."**

Gary put the book down, marking his place. "That's it" he announced, then looked at Jon. "It's George's turn to read next, but first I think I'd like a word with both of you" he frowned and stood up. Myles stood up with him.

"I can show you somewhere you can talk" his quiet eyes looked at the both of them, and Alanna had a distinct feeling that whatever was going on here, she didn't like it.

Gary nodded, and without a word Raoul stood up to join them. All five of them left before Alanna could protest, leaving her to sit there and curse to Faithful about the idiocy of men.

In the other room, Myles, Gary, and Raoul were standing in front of George and Jon. George looked seemingly unconcerned, but there was a stiff set to Jon's shoulders.

"Look, you're both my friends, but Alanna's like a sister to us" Gary started.

"And a daughter to me" Myles interrupted quietly, looking at the both of them.

Gary nodded at him, "And we don't want to see her get hurt" he continued.

A frown appeared on Jon's face, and he opened his mouth as if to argue, but Raoul held up a hand and pointed to Gary, who was still speaking.

"I know you wouldn't do it on purpose, either of you, but you're doing it without knowing it _now_" he frowned, then hesitated, trying to think of a way to say it without offending either of them. Seeing his discomfort, Myles stepped in, speaking calmly in his serious voice.

"As long as you're fighting over her, you're hurting her" he said evenly, he hesitated, addressing only the Prince now. "And you _know_ that in the end, she wouldn't be happy with you. A marriage to the Prince would mean giving up her life in return for a court existence, siring children for you"

Jonathan fell silent, a troubled expression crossing his face. Myles hesitated, about to say something else, then nodded, his mouth closing. With a last nod towards the silent George, he left the room, returning back to Alanna in the sitting room.

As soon as he entered, the worn expression on his face was replaced with an amused smile at the complaints he heard. "Talking to Faithful?" he asked in amusement.

"Well, you took everyone else off with you" she said haughtily, then relented, grinning. After a minute or two she eyed Myles, her mouth opening to ask the question he knew she wanted to—

"Don't" Myles cut her off "You're better off not knowing" he smiled kindly at her.

She frowned, but reluctantly closed her mouth and impatiently drummed her fingers on the armrest of the lounge. A few moments later Jon, George, Gary and Raoul returned, and try as she might she couldn't get a hint of what they were talking about from any of them.

Finally, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration, she waved her hand at George, who was grinning in amusement. "Go on then, start reading. Keep your secrets" she pouted.


End file.
